Total Drama Mario World Tour
by Springtime Bonnie
Summary: Fourteen cast members, plus three new contestants, compete for the chance to win 2,000,000 in challenges taking place all around the world. This season, players are divided into three teams. They must also perform spontaneous musical numbers every episode or risk being eliminated via the Drop of Shame. (Discontinued)
1. Firelulu Punch Part 1

(Chef Isabelle is making the introduction) "In the previous season of the Total Drama Mario series, Total Drama Mario Action: Fourteen good-for-nothin' teenagers came to the old abandoned Film Lot in Moonlight Kingdom, Bonneton, to compete for thirteen long, miserable weeks in various death-defying, humiliating, and disgusting challenges. What drove these maggots on, through thick and thin, motivating them every step of the way? The grand prize of one million dollars, that's what!

"They were eliminated one by one, until only two remained: Former Goth Girl, and High IQ Girl. These two battled it out hard in the finale, dodging alien ships, racing through burning buildings, and even singing and dancing. But in the end, Goth Girl won three out of the five challenges that day, and walked away with the million moolahs!

"As you all know, there was a little, ah…mishap at the end of the previous season shortly after the finale, and our original host was fired, along with our beloved producer, Mr. Clark. So, I've been summoned to take the place of BOTH these men! That's right; I'm now Chef Isabelle: chef, host, AND co-producer of this show! … YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT? (Pauses). Good. I thought not.

"Now, due to said mishap, our show was temporarily shut down for a serious investigation by the Mounties. So, we had to wait patiently for the last two years, while our show was cleared by the law. Once they finally gave it back to us, we randomly selected a handful of the cast to return for this here second season. That's right…randomly. No biase, no favoritism. Nope. None at all…

"Now, fourteen of the original twenty-one contestants will be comin' back for another round of torture! As you all know, it's time for the most heart-stopping, most dramatic, most not-boring season of them all: Total Drama Mario World Tour! These unlucky contestants will be traveling all around this green earth, battling it out in challenges all over, from familiar lands such as Moonlight Kingdom and the Mushroom Kingdom, or in locations all the way on the other side of the planet! Having to sing and dance in every episode, this season is probably gonna be just as much of a kicker as the last one!

"In addition to all this, we'll be doubling two key factors of the show: The first is the new grand prize! Instead of just another ONE million dollars, these punks will be at each others' throats for TWO million dollars! That's right; double the money, double the funny! But the contestants don't know that…yet. The other thing is that we will be bringing in some brand new suckers, ready for torture beyond their wildest dreams! But not like last season, either! We're not just bringing in two new contestants, but FOUR! Yes, you heard me right! FOUR newcomers will join our originals, and together, that makes eighteen young souls who are ready to take on the world…literally!

"As I wait at this airport for these ungrateful little teenagers to get their scrawny little behinds over here, you might wanna get ready yourself! So keep that clicker by you at all times, get comfortable, and go to the bathroom if you have to, because you are NOT gonna be moving at all during this episode…RIGHT? GOOD! So sit back, shut up, and get ready for the brand new season of…Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

* * *

Chef Isabelle, standing out on the massive runway of the airport, casually tapped his foot as he awaited the arrival of the contestants. She held two of the shiny, silver briefcases; one in each hand. He returned to the camera to keep the camera man interested.

"So, before the maggots get here, I just thought I'd inform of how exactly we managed to get them. As you can imagine, we weren't able to hold onto them for two whole years, so we had no choice but to let them return to their average, insignificant lives.

But, when the time came to do the show, we had to skip the qualification test and go with Plan B: Fib. So, we sent notices out to fourteen of our - er, I mean, your - favorite contestants, telling them that they were invited to come to a three-day Total Drama Convention, where there would be die-hard fans, paparazzi, Q and A's, and even a chance to meet the original twenty-two punks from the very first season! We knew that they wouldn't be able to resist that. So, for future notice, that's why they'll all seem a bit confused once they get here."

Then, as if on cue, the dirty old blue and white bus pulled up with a screech of its tires and a pop of its engine. The greasy, dented doors swung open with a creak, and the first returning contestant stepped out. Almost instantly, it took off once again, leaving the lone contestant standing before Isabelle.

Mr. L, with a large, bulky backpack on, glanced up at the bright, shining sun. Right off the bat, Isabelle noted the multiple differences with the kid who had won the tryout. First of all, the original pair of sunglasses that he never took off before, a cheaper, plastic pair with large, thick black lenses, had been replaced with a pair of shiny, more professional-looking aviator sunglasses with gold rims. The bright sun reflected off the lenses of his new shades, giving a gleam to his eyes.

He wore a fairly average outfit; a light-blue Quiksilver shirt, with khaki shorts and white sneakers that looked like they were ready to fall apart. He was also noticeably taller, and his brown hair was much longer, having fallen past his ear lobes. In addition, the warm, friendly smile that was so characteristic of him was absent, only replaced with a stern, firm look.

Before he spoke, he inhaled deeply, then exhaled softly. "Ah, back on international television. For a while, I had forgotten what fame was like."

"Yes, quite…Hee, hee." Isabelle chuckled.

"So…where's all the photographers? The autograph hounds? Hasn't it started yet?"

"Oh, it'll start real soon…"

By that point, the bus had returned to the same spot, and its two new passengers stepped off, holding hands. Rain and Tanooki both had their own duffle bags, and were smiling.

"Hey, Isabelle!" Tanooki called cheerfully. "Haven't seen you in ages, man! How's it goin'?" He raised his fist for a fist bump.

Isabelle, always there to kill a good mood, simply glared at him.

Tanooki hardly fazed by the response, dropped his offered first and instead turned to Mr. L, "Hey, L! Haven't seen you in ages, man! How's it goin'?"

"Fine." They both bumped knuckles. Mr. L then hugged Rain.

"Hey, L." She greeted.

"Hey. Wow, you look nice." L replied, noting the purple dress she was wearing.

"Yes, I wanted to look my best during the close-ups."

"Speaking of which, where are the cameras?" Tanooki asked.

"Besides that one?" L pointed right at the camera that was currently filming them.

"Oh, they'll be here soon, alright. Take my word for it."

"Awesome! I hope it starts soon! I can't wait to party!"

The bus came back once again, and Pauline was the next to come off, wearing a regular outfit: white, long-sleeved, ironed, dress and blue jeans. Her slick black hair was combed neatly, and she had that plain look in her blue eyes.

"Man, never thought that being involved with this show would pay off one day. Hey, guys."

"Hey, Pauline." Tanooki replied. "Never thought I'd see the day you wear average clothing instead of your usual, 'Man in black' get-up."

"Like I said, I've been freed. Ever since last season, I've turned a new leaf. I'm sure that the magazines will eat it all up." She then turned to Mr. L. "L."

"Pauline; my fellow winner." L added with the slightest of smirks.

"True that. I don't know about you, but I've chosen to take good care of my fortune. Most of that money is already safely stored away; I wasn't ready to waste a million big ones, like most guys my age would, eh?"

"You got that right." Another voice said from behind. They turned to see Rosalina step off the bus before it sped off again.

"Hey there, hon. Looking handsome."

"Right back at ya, beautiful."

Pauline and Rosalina embraced and shared a kiss.

"Never thought you were the kind to wear a dress?" Pauline gestured to her baby-blue dress.

"Well, I do like to look my finest in front of the media. Who wouldn't, really?"

"To me, you look your finest every day." Pauline chuckled.

They leaned in for another kiss, but were suddenly and abruptly interrupted by a piercing cry ringing out from the bus.

"AUGH! GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!"

The five teens wheeled around quickly in surprise, only for their reactions to immediately turn to annoyance and slight loathing, at the sight of the familiar prom queen leaping from the bus, a small rat scurrying after her.

"WHAT IS THAT RODENT DOING ON THE BUS? I HATE RATS!" Isabel roared.

"Ah, it's just ma pet rat, Stewey! He won't hurt ya!" The bus driver called.

"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE THIS REPULSIVE THING ON THAT BUS!" She then gave Stewey a massive kick, sending the rat flying right back into the bus.

Isabel, with several purses on her arm, turned to face the others.

"Ugh. Stupid, no-good b…beast." She brushed off her ankle. This brought the other teens' and Isabelle's attention to the ridiculous-looking shiny black high-heels she was wearing.

Of course, those were only the tip of the iceberg; she was wearing the most gaudy and expensive dress imaginable. It was a long, flowing dress with several different colors, such as white, yellow, green, and red lining the dress in horizontal lines. It was studded with diamonds all around the shoulders and neck area, with only a single strap going around the back of her neck.

Her burgundy hair was in a long ponytail, and she had a silver tiara on her head. The makeup was noticeably smoother and better-applied than usual, and there was glitter all around her eyes.

Her eyelashes were long and perfectly straight, Her fingernails and toenails had bright red nail polish on them. Despite all odds, her earrings were even longer and more exotic than before. If the others didn't know any better, they would've thought that the dangling, diamond earrings with studs of emeralds had once belonged to the queen of England herself.

"I can't wait for this thing to start; I haven't been in front of cameras since my swimsuit photo shoot for Star Stalker Magazine two weeks ago!"

Several pairs of eyes rolled.

Isabel turned and grabbed several massive, leopard-print roller suitcases, each one wobbling on its own wheels.

"So?" She asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"So…?" Mr. L replied.

"Where's all the paparazzi? I want to see my die-hard fans! All of the little people!"

"They'll be here soon!" Isabelle told her, the obvious annoyance in her voice.

"SOON? How soon? I want them here NOW!"

"Just shut up!" Isabelle roared. "And if you don't, you'll regret it, you little priss!"

Isabel stamped her foot, wobbling slightly as a result due to her high heels. But she ultimately kept quiet.

Then the bus returned yet again, by now sounding its worst. When the doors opened, a friendly voice called out, "Hey guyyyYYYAAAHHH!"

The greeting was interrupted when the ever-clumsy Skyler, barely taking one step, stumbled on the bottom step and fell face-first into the ground.

Naturally, her good-natured companions walked over to help her up, but she simply shrugged it off and casually brushed some of the dirt off her blouse.

"Whoa, that was a misstep. I guess that redefines the term "faceplant." Hey, guys! How's it going?"

"Uh…fine." Rain replied. "Yourself?"

"Oh, fine, thank you. I'm still alive."

"Miraculously." Pauline mumbled. Beside her, Rosalina giggled.

"So when do the original get here? Will they be here before the media? 'Cause I'm looking forward to meeting Lindsay and LeShawna. They always seemed like the coolest."

Isabelle chuckled at the memory of those two girls, particularly LeShawna.

"Yeah…those two were handfuls, let me tell ya."

Had it not been for the creaking of the bus's doors and the zoom of the engine approaching and then receding, the others would have never been aware of the next contestant's arrival. As always, Toadette was glued to her cell phone, fingers flying across the keypad as she rapidly texted her friends (or, at least they thought were her friends).

"Toadette." Rosalina greeted, only to no response (unsurprisingly).

Toadette acted as if she hadn't heard her (which she probably hadn't).

But Rosalina was always one to try to start a conversation, so she was persistent. "So…anything new?"

Nothing but the ratter-tatter, click-clack of the keys.

Pauline nudged Rosalina, then winked. "Let me handle this. Hey, Toadette?"

No answer…

"What kind of phone is that?"

"A Verizon Droid, model 2010. Got it at the electronics store a few blocks from my house for only $89.99. Costs only ten bucks a month to text. Had it for four months, and I've named it Skippy."

"I see."

Rosalina looked back at her girlfriend, naturally shocked. "How…?"

"With these kinds, you just got to know the right subject to talk to them about."

Toadette heard this indirect insult, and stopped texting. The sudden, abrupt end of the clacking of the keys made the others aware that she had actually lost concentration on the phone for whatever reason.

She looked up at Pauline with a slight scowl, then casually pressed her finger against the phone's screen. What exactly she did was unseen by the others. With several swift movements, she activated one of the special features she had downloaded onto the phone.

"I'm sorry, Pauline. Say that again?" She held the phone up noticeably higher, and slightly closer to the former Goth girl.

"Uh, I said…"

"SHUT UP!" Bellowed an irate mechanical voice from the phone, silencing Pauline, and making everyone flinch.

"Whoa! What the…?"

"SHUT UP!" The phone yelled again.

"What is…?" Rosalina attempted to ask.

"SHUT UP!"

"It's called 'The Shut Up App.'" Toadette replied with a smug grin. "A nice little gadget that tells you to shut up whenever you say something to it."

"Seriously? That's really…"

L was interrupted with the "SHUT UP!" once more.

"Where'd you get…?" Skyler started.

"SHUT UP!"

Toadette slid her finger across the screen once more, turning off the app.

"On the Internet. This is one of the most popular apps ever. And I can see why."

The others were absolutely speechless. The victor for now, Toadette returned to her rapid texting.

L shook his head, still pretty stunned at the fact that something like that even existed.

"The strange, unexpected world of technology." He muttered.

Pauline nodded her head in agreement.

Then the bus pulled up once again, carrying the eighth contestant.

The entire bus shook and rattled as the next contestant rambled through it, each footstep pounding on the metal floor. As he stepped onto the final step, the bus actually leaned over to that side. The moment he stepped off, the bus flung right back into its regular, non-slanted position, but with such great force that the bus driver's head smashed against a window, cracking it.

The bus driver's yelp of pain right after was drowned out by the large, jolly contestant's bellowing greeting.

"HEY, GUYS! How's it going?" Wario asked loudly.

There was a responding chorus of "Hello" or "Hey" from the other contestants.

"Oh, it's so cool to see you all again!"

He then swiped up L and Pauline in bear hugs.

"What's up, Pauline my man? Hey, you're not wearing black anymore! Have you dropped the whole 'doom-and-gloom' charade?"

"Uh…yeah…" Pauline winced as Wario tightened his grip slightly, then turned to the other unfortunate victim.

"Hey, L! You've gotten taller! And after, what, six days?"

"Wario, it's been two years."

"Really? Wow, it's like they say; 'Time flies'!"

Mr. L's eyes rolled, along with a heavy sigh, which went unseen and unheard by Wario and Pauline, along with his following mutter. "But not fast enough."

The three of them then heard a loud sneeze, followed by a heavy inhalation of breath, then a clearing of a throat. They all turned to see the tenth contestant to step off the bus: Iggy.

The geek hadn't changed much. He still had the curly hair, although it was now much longer and more abundant. In fact, it was almost like an afro of curly, light-brown hair. His glasses, the perfectly round, Harry Potter-like glasses were still the same. And, as always, his face had absolutely no expression as he looked around at the other eight contestants.

"Hey, guys." He finally wheezed.

"Hey, Iggy. How've you been?"

"Fine, thank you very much. I'm pleased to announce that the level of bullying against me at school has dropped significantly since I left the show."

"Really?" Rosalina asked.

"Yeah. Guess they all got more respect for me, or something. I'm kind of like a celebrity now or something. People have been asking me about my time on the show and things like that. I guess I was just born to be famous."

A scoff sounded, but the geek didn't hear it.

"I'm glad to attend this convention, and I can't wait for it to start. I've already practiced a nice little speech for the cameras. You wanna hear a sample of it?"

Before anyone could respond, the bus arrived with contestant number eleven.

Almost immediately after the next contestant revealed herself, there was already a negative vibe in the air. Several contestants glared at the familiar FemiNazi, who only stuck her nose up at them.

Madison stepped off the bus in her glorified, pompous demeanor. She glared at several of the guys, as well as Rosalina and Rain, but exchanged a brief nod with Isabel. Her arms crossed tightly over her chest, she strutted over to the group with noticeable reluctance. She paused in front of the camera, giving it a few sexy poses, before she returned her attention to the approaching bus.

The twelfth returning contestant had a fairly more pleasant entrance, but one just as dull. Mona slowly stepped off the bus. She had had little interaction with most of the others over the course of the first season, and suddenly being thrown back into the show with them was definitely very awkward.

"Uh…hi, guys."

One plain 'Hello' from Rain, and a more friendly, 'Hey' from Skyler was all she got. The cheerleader swallowed nervously, then slowly walked over to the group, standing next to Tanooki and Rain. She looked down at the ground and casually flicked her foot, kicking a small pebble away.

After a brief, awkward pause, the bus pulled up for the twelfth time, carrying the thirteenth contestant. The next contestant stepped out. Almost instantly, the blonde was recognized…even if she didn't recognize the others.

"Hey, thanks again, Mr…"

"Call me Eddie." The bus driver said to Susan.

"Uh, OK. Thanks, Mr. Eddie."

She stepped off the bus as it sped off, and looked around. "Oh, hello everyone!" She said in a friendly tone.

After a slight chorus of responses, she looked around. "Total Drama Mario Convention? This looks like an airport to me."

"We already know this." Madison stated with a scoff.

"But she's got a point; why would all this be happening here?" Iggy asked Isabelle; the first time the host had been addressed in a while.

"Oh…you'll see."

"Oh, hello Izabella!" Susan called to Isabelle.

"It's 'Isabelle,' girl. Get it right!"

"Oops, sorry!"

She turned to the other contestants.

"Hi, guys! Mason! You…were voted off first in season one, right?

When L figured out that she was talking to him, he sighed and shook his head.

"It's 'Mr. L .' And I won the tryout."

"Really? Oh, cool! How much did you get?"

"A hundred grand, remember?"

"Well, a hundred is grand, but it seems kind of…low, doesn't it?"

"Oh, boy."

Fortunately, L was spared further interrogation with the arrival of the fourteenth, and final, contestant.

The doors of the bus creaked open, and L was pleased to see none other than his girlfriend, Wendy. She was wearing a purple dress with no shoulder straps, black lining along the side, a ribbon on the back where she had tied it tighter, and fluffier, frillier fabric around the chest. On her feet were black high-heels. Her hair was, as usual, long and straight, with only the single black headband in it. While her appearance made her look very fancy and extravagant, her warm smile and friendly expression gave her a more humbling appearance.

She strode over to the group, exchanging greetings and hi-fives with the other contestants. When she reached her boyfriend, she looked down at him and greeted him.

"Hey, babe."

He slowly looked up at her, his aviators gleaming slightly in her face. He cracked a smile.

"Good to see you again. Looking as beautiful as ever."

She smiled, and the two quickly shared a hug. He slowly fell into the embrace, his eyelids closing slowly and calmly. After having been away from each other for so long, it felt good to be back in her warm, loving embrace again. Especially after…

Just then, the loud tweet of a whistle sounded, ruining the good moment (and not to mention, several of the teen's ears). The source of the sound was none other than Isabelle, holding the clean, stainless steel whistle between his lips. Once he was done, he let it fall out of his mouth, dangling on the string around his neck.

"Alright, worms! Listen up!"

"Whoa, Isabelle, dude." Tanooki calmly and cooly replied. "What's all this 'Listen up!' crap? We're at a TDMC, not some kind of military class."

The ex-marine was in the party guy's face in an instant. "I said to listen up! That also means to shut up! I'm giving the orders around here!"

Tanooki was quick to oblige.

"Now that you're all here, I might as well tell y'all the truth…"

"Whoa, wait a second." Rosalina interrupted. "What do you mean by all of us? We're still missing…seven people."

"That's because not all of you are supposed to be here! Just the fourteen of you!"

"But…isn't this convention supposed to feature all of us?"

"That's what I'm trying to explain to you! Let me take this one step at a time, darn it! Now, here's the deal: First off, you all know perfectly well about…the incident, at the end of season one."

"Duh. How could we forget?" Pauline admitted, with a shiver.

"Those guys were over six feet!" Rain added.

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway; after that, we had to cancel the show due to the investigation that the police had to go through with."

"Yeah, so?"

"I SAID LET ME FINISH! Now, when I say cancelled, I mean as in temporarily.

She paused and let the obvious implication sink in.

"What are you saying…?" Mona started.

"What I'm saying, is that now, after two long years, the investigation is finally over, and the show has gotten back on its feet. We needed a new host and co-producer, but I was quick to oblige. So the show is fresh and ready to go again!"

"Don't tell me…" Iggy stammered.

"Oh, I'll tell you; there ain't no 'Total Drama Mario Convention'! I made that all up!"

"WHAT?" Exclaimed all fourteen teenagers, even though they all already knew what was coming.

"That's right; we knew y'all couldn't resist another chance at fame, so we came up with that idea just to get you back here!"

"Oh, crap…" Pauline muttered as the obvious implication set in.

"You don't mean…" Iggy started.

"I knew it." Mr. L muttered under his breath.

"That's right! You suckers have just been suckered into season two!"

Isabelle was besieged by all of the roars, yells, complaints, and whines of the contestants.

"But I have to go star in a new teen movie in three weeks!" Isabel exclaimed.

"I was planning to go to Europe this summer!" Rosalina protested.

"I don't want to do this, eh! I've already won a season!"

"QUIET DOWN, ALL OF YA!"

Once they did so, she resumed.

"Now, as you can tell by the airport, we are, in fact, returning to the Total Drama World Tour format! And you fourteen have been selected to be a part of it!"

"No way, Jose! I ain't doing this!"

"You don't have much of a choice, worm. You all signed a contract when you agreed to the very first season."

"Still, that was for the first season!" Iggy exclaimed. "We never agreed to a second season!"

"Actually, you did. See, after the popularity of the show skyrocketed with the original series, we knew that we would definitely be able to do more than just one season. So we had the contracts modified, so that, in return for getting to be on this show in the first place, you willingly agreed to participate in this sub-series of Total Drama Mario for as long as necessary! Here, I'll read this bedtime story to you!"

And with that, Isabelle reached behind her and whipped out a stack of papers no thicker than the average phonebook, the sheets held in place by three staples in one side. She opened it and started flipping pages. As she did, murmurs of disgust rippled through the teens.

"This is outrageous!"

"You can't do this to us!"

"I'm calling my parents!"

Then, Isabelle finally reached the page he was looking for. "Says right here, on the final page, number 298, paragraph 5. Ahem. By signing this legal document, you hereby agree to partake in the show Total Drama Mario for as long as the show's producers may request. You agree that, every season of the series you are asked to participate in, you will do so. Even if you quit the competition, you will still be kept at the residence of the contestants whose participation has been terminated, as well as those who failed to qualify for the season, until the next season, or until the series ends."

And with that, she put the pages back into place and tossed it behind her.

"It was all in plain black and white, and you punks agreed to it with the few strokes of your pen, pencil, feather quill, or whatever you kids use to write with these days!"

"Fine! I'll just quit!" Pauline declared. "The contract said that I'm allowed to do that, right? Besides, that 'residence of the contestants whose participation has been terminated' is sure to be better than doing this again!"

"Oh, come now; you would just throw away a chance at the grand prize?"

"In case you forgot; I already won a million dollars!"

"Oh…but the stakes are much higher this time around. See, for this season, we've decided to DOUBLE the amount of money you'll be fightin' for!"

A collective gasp arose from the cast.

"That's right; one million dollars? Out the window. It's TWO million dollars now! Anyone else care to turn that down?"

This time, even Pauline was silent. There was a thump, and several people turned to see that Tanooki had fainted.

"Besides, you punks should be more grateful; again, it's just the fourteen of you! The other seven hardly even know about this yet!"

"But why'd you guys turn them down?" Rain asked.

"They weren't interesting enough! We'd seen enough of the two tough kids, and the nerd and the bookworm. Jock boy was a good villain while he lasted, but he was upstaged by sexist over here!"

At Isabelle's gesture towards Madison, she responded with a rather…unfriendly gesture.

"The same with Little Miss Gymnast. And, of course, that one kid who I can't think of a good, cruel nickname for…"

"Roy?" Rain asked.

"Yeah, that kid!"

"What was wrong with him?"

"Anyway, so it's the fourteen of you. However…we are going to be continuing the ever-classic tradition that was started with the original World Tour. We're going to be adding to the drama, by bringing in some newbies!"

The reactions afterward were considerably mixed. Several, such as Madison and Pauline, were not quite happy with the idea, while most of the others simply seemed unsure or worried. However, all of their mumbles and whispered comments to each other were interrupted when the bus arrived one last time. The doors slowly opened.

Isabelle turned slightly so that she was facing both the camera and the contestants. "As you all at home just heard, we are, in fact, adding four more new faces to this game! And here they are! New kid number 1: He's a 14-year old with a love for the arts! Theatrics, painting, you name it! The kid's probably a descendant of Shakespeare! It's Blayke!"

The sound of the newcomer's fancy boots on the concrete, a light tapping sound, was only the tip of the iceberg for his unusual, and shocking, appearance. Blayke was quite a handsome kid, well-built, and with a firm, strong posture that reflected a sense of confidence.

He had a perfect tan, with a hint of olive, and his piercing green eyes were the brightest, most unique eyes any of the contestants had seen since Pauline's eyes were first revealed. His hair, of course, was the eye-catcher. It was perfectly straight, and a fine copper color, while his bangs, gelled into a pinwheel, had golden blond in the tips of the pinwheel. He had a warm, friendly smile, and his overall appearance easily depicted him as a unique, sophisticated individual.

He stopped for a moment, paused, and looked around at the other contestants for a while before he finally spoke.

"Hey, everyone. How's it going? I'm Blayke."

There was an initial chorus of responses, as many of the contestants got a good vibe from this different newcomer. Most of them were surprised; newcomers were general so hyper and ecstatic to be on the show that they were stuttering and unable to express their joy enough. But Louis seemed so unusually calm, so collected, so cool.

But, inwardly, Blayke was very much like that. Ironic, too; he had prepared a whole, grand introduction speech for this moment, but now he couldn't get a single syllable out. All he could say were basic introductions. He still maintained his complexity, and showed no signs whatsoever of being nervous. He took a few steps forward and stood with the rest of the group. He failed to notice several of the girls, such as Toadette and Skyler, staring at him with hints of dreaminess in their eyes.

A few seconds passed by with everyone staring at him. Finally, Isabel asked, "What's with you?"

"Hmm?" He replied calmly, looking over at her.

"You're just so…quiet! No great introduction speech or something to glorify yourself?"

"No speeches for me, just quotes." He replied softly. "Being a lover of the arts and great minds of our time, I absolutely love to quote some of my idols, or even people that I've never heard of."

"…What?"

"How about this: Speeches are like steer horns – a point here, a point there, and a lot of bull in between." As he said the quote, his voice, a regularly calm and soothing tone, changed drastically into an omniscient, strong voice that wasn't necessarily loud, but certainly reflected a sense of authority and power.

While Isabel gasped in disgust, a majority of the teens, even Isabelle, couldn't help but snicker at the clever line.

"Evelyn Anderson, a German journalist, said that." Blayke finished.

"Anderson, huh?" Rosalina replied. Then she added, "After such an introduction, I can hardly wait to hear what I'm going to say."

"Ah!" Blayke replied. "Another Anderson quote! Nice one, Rosalina." He gave her a smile of approval.

"Why, thank you."

"Alright, enough quoting famous people, kids! Time for the next newbie! Everyone, please welcome Logan!"

The next newcomer stepped off the bus. She seemed to be almost the exact opposite of Blayke in so many ways. For one, something about his presence seemed to ward off the good vibe Blayke gave everyone; his stare was cold and dull as he glanced at his fellow competitors. They didn't know what to think of this one; his expression was totally blank.

Similar to Blayke's eyes, his were a bright color, only blue instead of green. His hair was also a stand-out feature with its bright, blood-red hair. Unlike the previous newbie's perfect tan, Logan had a paler shade of skin, almost to the point where it seemed unhealthy. He was fairly lean, but slightly lanky.

A few uneasy second passed. Then his hard face slowly transformed so that he seemed more welcoming. A slight smile slowly spread across his face. It was apparently supposed to be a friendly, greeting smile, but it still had hints of something else in it.

"Hello, everyone. It's nice to be here. Believe me, I'm excited to be on this show with you all."

Still a little unsure, several contestants responded awkwardly with general greetings such as "Hey."

He took a step off the bus, paused, then looked around again. His eyes seemed to widen. "What? Cat and Mario aren't here?"

"Nope." Isabelle replied. "They were both good villains while they lasted, but they're outta gas now! Time to make way for some new villains, hopefully."

"Ah. Always taking the ratings into consideration, eh?"

"You got it."

"Good."

No more competition. He thought.

With that, he joined the group. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Madison, who didn't notice. His face tightened at the sight of her.

...Except for her.

"O…K…" Isabelle stuttered. Even she couldn't help but shiver at the cold presence of this one. She shook it off, then resumed with her job. "Anyway, here's the third newcomer! At 15 years old, this next contender for the win is an animal lover, who probably loves animals more than human beings, and even more than herself! It's Katelyn!"

The next person to step off the bus was a lanky girl with skin equaling the pale complexity of Blayke's skin. She had dark brown eyes. Once again, a stand-out feature was her hair, which was red, with streaks of orange **(A/N:** What's up with all the newbies having strange hair? XD).

However, the truly unique feature was her outfit: a fox-ear headband in her hair, accompanied by a fox tail behind her. This drew the attention of many of the teens, raising many eyebrows. She had a gangly, goofy, awkward appearance, and several couldn't help but snicker lightly.

"Hey, guys! OMG! I'm on Total Drama! The world can see me right now!" She immediately ran up to the camera. "Hey, everybody back home! Wish you could be here right now, with me, on the show! And Emu, Hiiro, Nico, Taiga, Kiriya, Kuroto, Poppy, Parado, Sento, and Ryuga, I miss you guys!"

" 'Poppy'?" Mr. L asked.

" 'Parado'?" Pauline asked.

"Are those…real names?" Toadette asked, puzzled.

"Yes, silly!" Katelyn turned back to the group. "They're my pets' names!"

A general, "Oh," rippled through the cast.

"Dogs?"

"Yes, two…and a parakeet, two cats, three iguanas, one guinea pig, and a tortoise!"

Glances were exchanged, several jaws dropped, and all eyebrows were raised even higher.

"Alright!" Isabelle remarked, interrupting the strange greeting. "We've gotta hurry up, 'cause we're running low on time here! We'll introduce the next contestant, and then we've gotta take off! Anyway, so she's a 14-year-old whose mother is from Sunset Heights, but she herself is…" Isabelle paused, then seemed spit out the next word. "…Chinese." A noticeable look of disgust was on his face as he said the word. "Meet Chyna!"

They all looked back at the bus, and waited for the girl to emerge. But the doorway remained empty.

After a few long seconds, Isabelle grew visibly annoyed, and repeated, "Meet Chyna!"

Still nothing.

"Grr…I SAID, MEET CH-!"

Suddenly, a blood-curling scream shot out from the bus, causing everyone, especially Isabelle, to jump. A moment later, the bus driver, Eddie, a large, burly man with a four o' clock shadow (a somewhat stereotypical depiction of most bus drivers) tumbled out the door, beaten-up and twitching. A moment later, a blur shot out above him, flying through the air. When it first hit the ground, the cast could clearly see the phenomenon that was Chyna.

She had blonde hair and brown eyes. She was stunningly beautiful, but had that wild and crazy look in her eyes. She landed on the ground hands-first, performing a perfect handspring, then rolled over and jumped right up to her feet. She looked down at the pathetic, slumped form of Eddie.

"Hey, come on! I didn't hit that hard! I told you that I could be a little unpredictable at times!"

"Un…unpredictable! You crazy hose-beast, you knocked out my gold tooth!"

"At least it's not real gold, right?"

"Actually, it WAS!"

"Oh..heh, heh. Well, hey! My uncle has an eye made of gold! My second cousin has a boob made out of gold! So you should be more grateful!"

She then turned around and finally noticed the cast. "Oh, hey guys! I'm Chyna! It's so awesome to finally meet all of you!"

She took a step forward, and everyone almost instantly cowered in fear, clinging to each other for dear life as the psycho started to approach.

"Whoa, whoa guys! What's with the group hug? Is there a chill in the air right now? I guess it's that time of year again!"

"Uh…Chyna, is it?" Blayke asked.

"Yep! That's me! You can also call me 'C,' 'Dawn,' or 'Psycho Hose-Beast Who Will Knock Out Your Gold Teeth If You're A Bad Bus Driver,' though!"

"Um…right. Anyway, you said it's that time of year again? But it's May."

"May, as in 'May…be we're having global freezing this year'!"

Blank stares.

"You know, we had that whole global warming scare last year, maybe it'll be global freezing this year!"

There was a pause, in which both sides of the rather illogical and one-sided argument were silent.

"Hey, anyone wanna see me be able to lick my own elbow?" She then immediately grabbed her own right arm and started to drag it closer to her face, her tongue sticking out and stretching unusually long towards her elbow.

As the others watched in absolute astonishment, Isabelle could only roll her eyes. "I knew we made a mistake bringing an Chinese onto the show."

"Hey! I can't really reach my own arm right now, so do you think that one of you could spare your own arm? Hey, you, Iggy! Come here!"

"AAUUGGH!"

A mad chase began to ensue around the runway, with Iggy scrambling around to get away from the psychotic teenager. Eventually, objects, such as bags of luggage, or the luggage itself, began flying around, and chaos was ensuing.

"Uh…OK, we'd better sign off for right now!" Isabelle declared to the camera. "It won't be too much of an irregularity in the first place…" He had to duck to avoid a can of cologne flying by. "…these introductory episodes are generally in two parts anyways! So, uh, will Napoleon be able to outrun the crazy chick? How will the newcomers interact with the veterans? And what will the first challenge, and first location be? Find out next time on Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"


	2. Firelulu Punch Part 2

After a few minutes, Isabelle had finally managed to take control of the situation that had unfolded when they last left off. When Chyna found out that she was able to lick her left elbow just fine, she left Iggy alone. The luggage strewn about had been picked up, and Isabelle was dusting herself off.

"Anyway, welcome back to Total Drama Mario World Tour! We have just quarantined – er, contained the situation here, and are ready to get back on schedule!"

"After that, I'm considering quitting this show before it's even begun!" Iggy exclaimed.

"Anyway, worms, it's time for you to meet a very special thing: your new home for the season!"

"Oh, God!" Isabel exclaimed. "That broken-down piece of junk?"

"That pathetic excuse for a plane?" Rosalina agreed.

"That sad, wannabe aircraft?" Madison added.

"It's called the Total Drama Mario Jumbo Jet! And it's MINE, so you better not say another word about it unless it's a compliment!"

After a pause, Isabelle continued. "And besides, I've made a very special addition to it that should really guarantee it looking much better and more pleasing for all of ya!"

"Oh, did you finally fix that rusty door?"

"Or fill in the holes in the hull with something besides wood?"

"Or clear it out of vermin?"

"NO! Just shut up and see for yourselves!"

And with that, there was a loud chugging, interrupted every now and then by clunking, as well as the sounds of an engine that was already dying. They looked up as the Jet approached, looking the same as it did before. Smoke shot out from the engine, bolts fell loose, and it sputtered and choked as it approached.

"Oh…dear…"

It pulled up next to the group with a final chug and screech. It didn't take a rocket scientist to determine that there was absolutely nothing different about the Jet since the original season.

"You're kidding, right?" Rain asked doubtfully.

"Nothing's changed!" Isabel screeched.

"Yes it has, idiots! Look closer!"

The contestants scanned it, catching every detail, but saw nothing different. Finally, Blayke caught the detail.

"Oh dear God."

"You see something different?" Mr. L asked.

"Yep." The Shakespearean then slowly lifted a finger and pointed at it. Soon, their gazes followed it, and saw it.

"You're kidding." Rain said again, only not as a question this time.

Sure enough, the one "addition," was the fact that the large orange image on the side of the Jet, originally of the first host, was now replaced by Isabelle's own image, complete with a pilot's outfit.

"She's no better than you-know-who." Rosalina whispered to Pauline, who nodded in agreement.

"That's right! My beautiful face on the side of this proud vessel will surely reflect pride, authority, power, dignity, pride…"

"Uh, Isabelle dude? You said 'pride' twice."

"THAT'S BECAUSE PRIDE IS MY NUMBER ONE TRAIT! YOU GOTTA PROBLEM WITH IT?"

"SIR, NO SIR!" Tanooki yelled back.

"GOOD! Anyway, it's time to get moving. We're running late as it is. So get on if you want to become a teenage double millionaire!"

Within less than a minute, the eighteen teens all scrambled aboard, and the large host slowly pulled the main door shut, sealing it with a twist of the handle.

As Isabelle started to walk away, Skyler quickly asked, "Uh, Isabelle? Aren't you going to, like, give us a tour of the plane, or something?"

"Ya'll know this show well; you should know where everything is! The first-class area, the economy-class area, the cafeteria, the Confessionals, all that stuff. If you need a little help, there are diagrams and maps of the Jet all over. Oh, and I almost forgot: the galley and my quarters. Both of those two are strictly off-limits! You know why?"

Everyone knew why, and no one dared to speak.

Well, except for one.

"Why?" Susan piped up.

Isabelle was in her face almost instantly. "BECAUSE THOSE ARE MY QUARTERS! IF I EVER CATCH YOU IN THERE, YOU WILL BE IMMEDIATELY THROWN OFF THE PLANE LIKE HOME-SCHOOL WAS IN THE ORIGINAL SEASON! Clear?"

"SIR, YES, SIR!" Everyone replied simultaneously.

"Good. You all have your luggage with you, so you should have spare clothes on you, right?"

Her response was a series of quick nods from everyone.

"So you have more than enough time between now and our first destination to change out of whatever fancy clothes ya'll have one right now, and then unpack, settle down, get to know each other a little better, and worry about what torture you will be forced through today. Any more questions?"

For a few moments, no hands flew up. Then, one in the back did. It belonged to the newcomer, Logan.

"What is it, Drama King?"

"Will we be doing the whole musical thing again this time around?"

Almost instantly, there was a flood of mixed reactions. Several of the contestants groaned at the realization that this was possible, while a few others rolled their eyes. Others looked back at Isabelle with eager eyes, hoping for confirmation that they would, in fact, be doing it.

"As a matter of fact…yes. We will." Even Isabelle herself seemed repulsed by the thought, even as she said it.

The various looks exploded into vocal reactions.

"Are you kidding me, eh?"

"No! I hate singing!"

"Yes! This'll be awesome!"

"PIPE DOWN, MAGGOTS! All of ya!"

Once it was quiet, she continued.

"Yes, we will be singing and dancing and all that good stuff again this time. Believe me, I hate this as much as most of you probably do, but I didn't have a say in it. The producer, the remaining producer, said that it brought in ratings. Serious ratings. So it stays."

"But you said that you're the co-producer." Skyler piped up. "So don't you have a say in it?"

"The other producer has had more experience, and has been the producer much longer than I have. Originally, Mr. Clark was the head producer. But you all know what happened with him. So the other one was next in line as the wiser and the more superior, so I have to do what she says.

"Anyway, so as far as the musical thing goes, I will promise you only one song per episode. It's the least I can do since I hate it just as much as you do. You know what the bell sounds like, and all that other stuff. So, if there are no more questions, I've got to prep for our takeoff."

And with that, he turned and walked away, towards the cockpit.

* * *

 **'''Lavatory Confessional'''**

 **Pauline** – (still looking extremely peeved) Yeah, I'm still angry about being forced into this, eh. True, it's a lot of money, and I am with my girlfriend, and we'll be going all around the world and seeing stuff that most kids my age only wish they could see…but I still don't think it's worth it. Do I sound like an arrogant, ungrateful jerk? Argh! Rosalina told me that I needed to work on my downhill attitude if I'm ever going to be like a regular kid again, eh. That's gonna be hard, considering how peeved I am! Especially with the fact that we have to SING again! Seriously, eh? OK, I know I have an awesome singing voice and all, but I just don't really like to sing. (Sighs) Well, if it'll keep me in the game, so be it.

 **Rain** – This is gonna be awesome! Traveling all around the world! I hope we get to go to Shiveria! My ancestors, at least on my mother's side, came from there! And the singing! I love to sing! I think I have such a great voice!

 **Tanooki Mario** – (pumping his fists into the air) YES! Woo-hoo! This is gonna rock! World Tour, baby! And this time, I'm in it to win it! Woo!

 **Blayke** – My heart is still pounding. I seriously just cannot believe that I was accepted! I'm glad to be here, hanging with all of the originals, and traveling all around God's green earth on a grand adventure! This'll be just like The Odyssey! Plus, it should be able to give me some spare time to catch up on my reading! (pulls out a leather book bag, reaches in, and pulls out a handful of thick books) I've got It, Cemetery Dance, Fever Dream, The Tell-Tale Heart, Pride and Prejudice…

 **Mona** – (Sighs) Yeah, I'm the quiet girl. I was barely in the original season, and I wasn't even in season one. People probably still say, "Who's Mona?" when talking about me on this show. I feel like a nobody. (Pauses, looks down at the floor) But I'll prove them wrong. This nobody can become a somebody…not to mention a rich somebody!

 **Madison** – This season is going to either be easier or harder than last time. Last time, there were way more idiot boys around than women. I was a lock for the million…but then Rosalina and Wendy had to go and ruin it all! Those fools still don't know what they were doing. But this time around, I've got way more women up against me. That can be both good and bad. Good, because we could easily form a female alliance and wipe out the male opposition. But once they're all out of the way, then it's just us girls.

And some of the girls I'm up against are hard. Yes, there's an idiot, a clumsy stooge, a mute, a whiner, an animal-lover, a cell-phone-a-holic and a freak show, but there's also friendly Rain, popular Wendy, and intelligent Rosalina. This season will definitely be more of a challenge to me. But I say…Bring it on.

 **Isabel** – This new Confessional is DISGUSTING! …But I guess I might as well use this one, as opposed to the one in the Cockpit with (gulps) that man.

 **Iggy** – This is gonna be sweet! Traveling around the world is pretty cool! I may get a chance to use my multi-lingual skills and impress everyone! I speak (starts counting on his fingers) Indian, Spanish, German, Russian, Japanese, Chinese…

 **Rosalina** – I feel fairly confident this time around. I've definitely made up for my past mistakes, and, while I did make it to the final five of last season, I didn't go too far in the original season, so people can't be saying that I'm a Duncan or a Courtney and have totally hogged the camera up until now. So I think that I'll do well this time.

However, it's Pauline that I'm worried about. Saying that she's mad to be here is an understatement. She's enraged. He feels betrayed. I mean, being the nice guy that she is now, she doesn't want to try to go for the win again, when he's already done so, and she really wants someone else to have a shot at the money, but he feels obligated to be here.

I mean, can you really blame him? She doesn't just want to walk away from a free world tour, and a chance at being two million dollars richer. I just hope that it doesn't affect her attitude towards the others. She's just on the verge of fully transforming from the dull Goth girl that she used to be; I don't want her to become bitter again because of this. (Sighs)

 **Iggy** – …Latin, ancient Greek, Egyptian, French…

 **Katelyn** – I can't believe that I'm actually here! Me! On Total Drama World Tour! This is a dream come true! I'm gonna miss my animals though (starts to sniff). Don't worry, guys! I'm gonna win that two million so that I can build a bunch of animal reservations, to help animals just like you!

 **Chyna** – It's so awesome to be here! We get to see the world and sing and dance, too! Oh, how about this? (starts singing) Eryn's on a plane, flying around the world! As we see the sights, her fury will be unfurled!

 **Skyler** – I'm so excited to be here! I finally get another chance at proving that I'm not a complete loser! I am so sick of it, it's like, people say that it's a miracle that I can walk! But you know what…(gets up off the seat and leans in closer to the camera) I'm gonna prove them wrong! Starting today…(starts to sit down, but ends up tripping on her coincidentally untied shoelace and falling down off-camera) Ow!

 **Toadette** – (simply sits there, texting wildly on her phone)

 **Chyna** – I guess one of the main reasons I wanted to be here was so that I could meet…Iggy. He's so…hunky! In his own sort of way, of course. To me, he could be even more valuable to me than the two million. I hope I don't sound like a Sierra right now. I figure that if he ever found out how I feel about him too early, he might be creeped out. So I'm gonna make sure that I get to know him a little better before I try to make my move.

 **Susan** – This is gonna be great! I'm totally gonna win! People underestimate me and say that I'm an idiot! But I'm not! I happen to speak four different languages! That's right! Four! (holds up four fingers) And they are American, English, Canadian, and British!

 **Wario** – Me? On the third season? Traveling around the world? Singing? Dancing? And the chance at two million bucks? AWESOME! Bring it on, Chef man! I'm ready to take home the prize this time around!

 **Wendy** – I really don't know how I'll fare this season. I've done good in the original two seasons…maybe too good. I mean, hello? Final three in season one, and final two in the last season. The viewers are probably gonna slam me for being too upfront and for being on the show too long. You know, give someone else a chance? I personally don't mind how long I last. As long as I'm in the same season as Matthew again, and get to see the whole world for free, I'm perfectly content. And I'm sure L will say the same thing.

 **Mr. L** – (still wearing his Aviators, shoulders sagged, head hanging and staring down at the floor of the Lavatory. He sighs, then slowly lifts his head and looks at the camera, tightening his face before he speaks) People may call me greedy for saying this, but I don't care. This time around, I'm in it to win it.

* * *

As the contestants started to settle into their new home, there were already some various interactions occurring between them.

Naturally, they all wished to "settle down" in the first-class area. And they made sure to take in the extravagance of the lavish first-class section.

"Ooooh! These seats are so comfy! I could get used to these!" Isabel mumbled as she reclined into one of the yellow seats, leaning back for a nap.

"This is fit for Air Force One, dudes!" Tanooki exclaimed as he jumped up and down on one of the couches.

"Oh, my daddy's been on that plane."

"Seriously?" Almost all eyes turned to Isabel, talking with her eyes closed.

"Yeah, meeting with the President…"

"Which one?" Toadette asked.

"Well, it sure wasn't that terrible one they have now. I think maybe that guy who got…nah, he wasn't assassinated. He was almost assassinated."

"You mean…Reagan?" Mr. L asked in shock.

"Yeah, him."

* * *

 **'''Lavatory Confessional'''**

 **Pauline** – Pfft. Show-off.

* * *

Blayke stood before the round aquarium in one wall.

"Hmm…nice specimens. I do recognize the Fugu Blowfish."

Before he knew it, Katelyn was at his side. "Like fish much? I do. I love them."

"They're more amusing to me than some others. Always gliding around, so calm and peaceful one second, and then dashing off like lightning the next. They're fantastic to view up close, but not in this sad little cage."

"I know. It's torture. I despise things like this!"

"Quite." He then turned and silently shuffled away.

"Hey, sweet!" Chyna called. "This bar's got everything!"

She threw open one of the wooden cabinets behind the fancy bar setup, revealing the rows and rows of beverages. From soft drinks to simple waters, lemonades to iced teas, even…

"WHOA! They got Red here!" Chyna quickly removed a bottle of Red Wine.

"Uh, is that safe?" Logan quickly asked.

"Yeah, you think that Isabelle would know better than to let a bunch of teens drink!" Pauline said, already diving behind a chair at the sight of the bottle in Chyna's hand.

"Hey, some of us are over the age of 18! We can drink!" Chyna then proceeded to grab the bottle cap.

"Uh, the drinking age is 21."

"Oh, heh, yeah, well…not in the Dawn Kingdom!"

There was the immediate pop of the cap flying off, and everyone dove for cover as it shot into the ceiling, bounced down to the ground, then bounced again and hit the wall, flying back and destroying a spare wine glass on the side. The fizz drizzled out of the mouth, streaming down Chyna's hands.

"Oh, come on, guys! My mom let me drink this all the time at parties and stuff!"

She then whipped out a glass, with an upside-down dome base, a long elegant stem, and a cup lined with fine diamond-like patterns, and started pouring.

Everyone screamed and cowered in fear as the red liquid started filling up the glass. "Oh, come on! I've been drunk only once! And even then I was just a little buzzed…I wonder why they call it 'buzzed' in the first place? Maybe it's because…Oh, hey! Look at this!"

Chyna stopped pouring and placed the bottle back on the counter. She looked over at the remains of the glass destroyed by the bottle cap, and saw the cap itself. It had ridged edges, and was golden. The label of the wine was written in fine red on the top, and the underside was silver with the smell of wine in it. Chyna scooped it up and sniffed it once. "Ah! This bottle cap is so cool! It's gold, and red! My two favorite colors, along with clear! Maybe I should call you Jeffrey!"

She then put it in her pocket and started pouring again. Everyone screamed and cowered in fear. But one person had a plan.

"Uh, excuse me, Chyna?" Logan said as he walked up. "Could I have a look at the bottle cap you have there?"

"His name is Jeffrey!"

Logan remained the least bit startled by her outburst. "Fine. Jeffrey."

"Sure!"

She removed it and placed it in his pale hand. It slowly clasped around it, holding it between his index finger and thumb.

"Hmm…this is a nice one. I think it's…uh-oh."

"What?" Chyna asked from behind the counter.

"I…I…a…a…aa-CHO!"

Logan's sneeze – a strange, brief sound; not like regular sneezes – jerked him off his feet and sent the bottle cap flying from his hand. It started bouncing down the aisle, moving farther and farther away, heading for the cargo hold.

"JEFFREY! I'M COMING, JEFFREY!" Chyna immediately leapt over the counter, knocking over her wine glass and ruining the carpet, and started somersaulting down the aisle after Jeffrey.

Logan got up off his knees and lightly brushed himself off. He casually slid behind the counter and placed the bottle of red wine back in the cabinet. Instead, he removed a large, 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper, along with a handful of the elegant glasses.

"Alright, she's gone. Now, anyone want some good, non-lethal drinks?"

* * *

 **'''Lavatory Confessional'''**

 **Mona** – Wow. Just…wow.

 **Tanooki Mario** – That new guy Logan was good! He might not be so bad after all!

 **Wendy** – That was pretty smooth on Logan's part. It was cool of him to do that. When I saw that wine, I was about to freak.

* * *

As Logan started generously serving everyone some glasses of Dr. Pepper, he was met with mixed reactions. Most people, naturally, thanked him and took their glasses. A few still had suspicious looks, or were just plain shocked at his display of ingenuity.

"I'm impressed, Logan my man! That sneeze practically sent you into the ceiling!"

"I know." Logan said as he filled Tanooki's glass.

"How did you learn to fake such realistic sneezes, dude?"

"Eh, I've been in a few plays in my time." Logan handed the party boy his glass.

"Awesome!"

As he left, his girlfriend was next in line.

"Wow…Logan. That was cool of you." Rain said as she was next in line for a drink.

"Why thank you. I just knew that combining that girl and wine would be like water and oil."

At Rain's giggle, he was quick to add, "Just ask my uncle. He lives in the Seaside Kingdom right now."

She stopped giggling. "Oh. Sorry to hear that."

"Eh, it's not your fault." He finished filling the glass and handed it to her, along with a smile and a wink.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Logan** – (leaning back casually, arms behind his head; sighs contently) Ah…This shall be a piece of cake. I'm glad that everyone else wants to use the toilet confessional; that way they won't be able to hear me from outside if they're next in line. I can't have that; it would ruin everything.

 **Chef Isabelle** – I'm listening.

 **Logan** – Well, duh! That's the idea! And you are the reason everyone's talking in the toilet instead!

 **Chef Isabelle** – Really? They…nobody likes me? No…body…(starts tearing up)

 **Logan** – Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now, venting here. Shh! Just go back to your piloting!

Anyway, that bit back there with keeping psycho from getting drunk? Eh, I figured I'd do one nice thing for everyone. But don't expect Mr. Nice Guy from me this season. Why? Well, here's the deal: I'm the new guy. Everyone expects the new guy to be an antagonist. It's so typical. Well, I don't want them to suspect me. I had to do that to make up for my bad entrance. I didn't mean to seem so…sinister. But I won't be doing anything else like that. I don't want to be Prince Charming like Ale-handout last time. That sucker was good…but that's what singled him out.

This is the true strategic option that guarantees me success. You don't make it obvious that you're evil right off the bat like Heather, or Duncan. You don't be the whiny, annoying, cheating kind like Courtney. You don't be the all-out manipulative like Justin. You don't be a sudden new-leaf villain like Madison. And you don't be a charmer like Alejandro. You be…under the radar. You lay low. Be the kind of guy that the camera just swoops over, or even ignores altogether. You be an Ezekiel. And that's how I'm going to be. I'll sneak my way to the top without anyone else knowing it.

 **Chef Isabelle** – My God! That's brilliant!

 **Logan** – Yes, yes, thank you. Now shut it!

Of course, if necessary, I can form an…"a-word", if I have to. You know what I'm talking about. I'll just need to find the right people. The kind who are sheep that follow your every move and every command. Large enough and firm enough, it won't be hard. You see, in this kind of game, your opponents are like roaches: you crush some, and the rest will scatter.

Oh, and one last thing: I lied about my uncle living in the Seaside Kingdom.

* * *

Pauline was sitting in one of the window seats, arms folded firmly across her chest, a dull look on his face, staring out the window at the airport around them as the plane sat motionless. She sighed heavily, ignoring all of the conversation and whatnot going on.

Her girlfriend, after taking a glass of Dr. Pepper from Blayke, noticed Pauline sitting out away from all the hubbub.

"Oh, dear." She muttered before walking over. Carefully sliding into the seat next to him, she nudged her shoulder. "Pauline?"

A grunt was her response.

"Look, I know you're upset. I can understand it perfectly."

"I feel betrayed, eh. I mean, I like being here with you, I just…"

"I know. I get it. Would you have rather been one of the seven who didn't get to come back?"

"Maybe."

"Pauline…"

"Would you?"

"Huh?" Rosalina was taken aback by the sudden and unexpected move of being asked her own question.

"I said, would you? Would you have wanted to not be part of this?"

"Of course not! I'm glad to be here! I want to see the world, and you should, too."

Pauline simply turned and looked out the window again.

Rosalina sighed a defeated sigh and shook her head.

Both she and Pauline turned at the sudden jolt of the Jet. There was clattering, and then the low sound of an engine starting up, its hum growing louder and louder, more and more consistent. Then there was the sound of the intercom's beep, moments before the booming voice came on. "Alright, maggots! Buckle up! We are beginning our takeoff, and it will be approximately 11 hours before we reach our destination! Secure all loose items, put all backseat trays in the upright position, and blah-blah-blah."

The intercom clicked off, and Rosalina turned and looked at Pauline again, still sitting with her arms folded and staring intently out the window.

She hung her head briefly, then shook it, then looked back up at Pauline. She was still unmoving. She figured that she didn't want to sit next to this for almost half a day, and that she needed her alone time.

She slowly stood up, then paused, then leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Just think about it, OK?"

She then slid out of the row, moving to another one.

Pauline did not move her head at all, or even flinch. But there was the faintest hint of a tear sliding down her cheek as she continued staring out at the moving runway.

* * *

Meanwhile, a certain dramatizer was already sitting comfortably in his seat, with his seat belt fastened and his legs crossed casually. He reached into his bag, on the floor at his feet, and rifled around in it until he found what was he looking for: a book. And a big one at that, with a yellow, perfectly square piece of paper stuck between the pages as a bookmark. He opened the book, removed the bookmark, and began reading.

As the Jet began to take off, one girl nearby saw that, surprisingly, the seat next to him was available. Glancing around quickly, she stole for the seat. She stood next to the seat, slightly leaning over him for a moment. She happened to steal a glance down at the spine of the thick book he was reading, and caught a glimpse of its title: The Ice Limit.

After a few moments, she forgot that she was staring, and it was Logan who had to interject.

"Hello, Mona."

"Oh, uh, hey, Logan."

"Are you looking for a seat?"

"Um, yeah."

"Please, take this one."

"OK!" Mona replied quickly, a little too loudly. She slid into the seat next to him, and buckled in. Logan placed the bookmark back in the book and put it aside.

"So, uh…what's that?"

"Oh, this? The Ice Limit. A bunch of people on a ship called the Rolvaag go on an expedition to the southernmost tip of Honeylune Ridge to retrieve the world's largest meteorite."

Mona was briefly stunned by the brief summary. "Um, OK."

"It's just one out of many books written by these guys. Preston and Child. Masterminds. True fathers of the literary arts of our time. They've written many New York Times bestsellers together, and to me, they surpass the works of others, like Crichton, or even Stephen King."

"Ah."

"You read any books?"

"Nah, besides the ones my English teacher makes me read. I hate books."

"Typical English class books? Romeo and Juliet?"

"Tell me about it. I think that's something that old Shakespeare came up with on the toilet…if you don't mind me saying."

Logan issued a warm chuckle. "Ha-ha. Not at all. I actually think criticism is as necessary as praise. And that was a clever little joke of yours, about the toilet."

"Thanks. Sorry if I'm insulting what you love. I'm just not a book type, you know?"

"Indeed. We are all different types. Just like with criticism and praise, different stereotypes are necessary for the world to function. Without it, we would be a perfect, but dull and monotone, society."

"Wow…that's beautiful. Did you make that one up on the fly?"

"Yes. Yes I did, actually."

"Nice."

"Thank you, thank you."

Nicole couldn't help by giggle briefly and blush, while Logan simply smiled.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Logan** – Yeah, I've noticed a lot of girls all ogling over me. I'm honestly surprised. I've never considered myself to be hot. …Hm, maybe I'm not, as they say, "hot." Maybe it's just my demeanor. My sophistication and love for the arts must be it. Ha! And the unintelligents back at school says that nerds never make it! Take that, simians!

 **Mona** – Logan…he's just so…so…charming. He's so clever and witty, almost like a guy out of a Shakespeare novel! Maybe that's his game. But he's so cool that way! Would I mind…hooking up with him? Of course not! But I'd have a one in (counts on her fingers) … six chance in getting him, out of all the other girls here who aren't already hooked up. And I don't think I'm much of a candidate. After all, who likes the mute girl, eh?

* * *

''Meanwhile, down in the cargo hold…''

Large crates and old supplies were being thrown around like they were in a hurricane. A blur was moving through the shapes quickly and noisily. A certain blonde was rummaging through the cargo hold, searching desperately for her lost bottle cap.

"Jeffrey! Jeffrey! Where are you? I can't lose you now! You're so beautiful! And I've had you for so long! Don't worry! I will find you eventually!"

As she searched, a rat nearby found Jeffrey. It sniffed the cap and, detecting the delicious scent of wine, picked it up in its little mouth and scurried along. Eryn happened to see it dash by her feet, and when her eyes locked onto the golden object between its teeth, she went ballistic.

"GIVE ME BACK MY JEFFREY, YOU RODENT!" Chyna picked up a wrench nearby and started chasing down the furry little creature, which picked up the pace easily.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Chyna** – OK, so I have tendency to name inanimate objects, but I can't help it! It's fun! And it gives me friends when life won't! And the inanimate objects are so much nicer to me! Once, I had a sock named "Mrs. Jenkins." She was a purple sock owned by my great-grandmother's brother-in-law's nephew's best friend! She was so cool, until my little brother's stupid cat Sonic went and tore her up! I got me a new fur hat that day.

* * *

Eleven hours later, a majority of the contestants were asleep in their seats. The only ones who weren't were Tanooki, Mr. L, Blayke, and Logan. Tanooki was hyped up on the soda and was chatting excitedly to a barely-listening Rain, who tried her hardest to pay attention to her boyfriend, only for drowsiness to kick in. Logan was busy reading his novel, while Mona slept next to him. And Blayke and Mr. L had dates with the confessionals.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Mr. L** – (Sighs heavily, still looking depressed) Yeah, you're all probably wondering why I'm not the happy, cheerful, outgoing guy. Well…(scratches the back of his head) I had an, uh, incident about a year ago. I'd rather not talk about it. All I'll tell you is that I'm in it to win it this time, and make up for that incident. Like I said, don't expect an easy-going guy this time.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – Like I said, if I need an alliance, I need individuals who are easy to sucker into an alliance, but will stay with me to the end. I need someone like…Tanooki. Cheerful, happy-go-lucky, popular, slightly dimwitted, ready to take on any challenge, ready to win. I'm sure he wouldn't mind an alliance. But I might not be able to trust him to not be able to tell his girlfriend or other close friends about it.

But otherwise, he'd be perfect. There's also Pauline. She's an extremely strong competitor, and will take any challenge without objection. But…she's clearly not in the game due to being tricked into it like she and the others were. So she's out. Madison, Skyler, Isabel…all of their popularity ratings are down the tubes. This is going to be tougher than I thought. But I will strike an alliance, sooner or later. But it's not going to be easy.

 **Chef Isabelle** – It'll sure as heck be easier than trying to fly this baby for eleven hours straight! She's a beauty, but it can be tiring! Imagine what 24-hour pilots go through!

 **Blayke** – OK, you're right there, but this offers a reward. This has a benefit! So I'm more determined!

 **Chef Isabelle** – Suit yourself.

* * *

Shortly after the twenty-eighth minute of the eleventh hour, the intercom buzzed loudly. "Alright, worms! Wake up, buckle up, and get mean! We are descending into our first location…Firelulu! We will be landing shortly!"

Most of the contestants took their time stretching, yawning, and then doing as instructed. All seat belts were fastened and the trays were put in the upright positions. As the Jet slowly landed, the teens all looked outside at the passing scenery. The palm trees, the pristine white beaches, the blue surf. It was everything they imagined it to be. In the distance, several volcanoes rose high into the sky.

"Whoa…" Tanooki gasped in shock.

"It's like…totally awesome." Iggy agreed.

When the Jet finally screeched to a halt, the soft beeping of the seat belt sound turning off sounded, and they all started to rise from their seats. Most of them turned and started heading down to the bow end of the cabin, to the small door in the side of the Jet where they would disembark.

When they reached the elimination ceremony room, where the door was, it was already open, with a long escalator heading down into it. They all started to head down.

Blayke, hanging back at the very end of the group, stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a very faint, and very familiar sound.

"I…found Jeffrey! I killed the rat, and I got him back!"

Blayke's acute sense of hearing was able to detect the extremely faint voice, while the others ahead of him couldn't. He swung around and saw the hatch in the floor, off to the side from the set of wooden bleachers. The hatch led into the cargo hold, and he knew Chyna's voice when he heard it. He quickly raced over to it just in time to meet the psycho blonde as she was climbing up the ladder, holding Jeffrey triumphantly in her hand.

"No you don't!" Blayke hissed, snatching the cap out of her hand and tossing it back down into the hold.

"Ack! I'm coming, Jeffrey! …Again!" She immediately fell back off the ladder and chased after her precious cap once again. Blayke wasted no time in slamming the trapdoor shut, and turning the lock.

At that moment, Skyler, the last person on the Jet, turned around and saw him crouching over the closed trapdoor.

"Blayke? What are you doing over there?"

Blayke didn't waste any time coming up with a plan in a millisecond.

He let out a massive cough, followed by several shorter ones. He continued his coughing fit for a moment before speaking. "I…(cough, cough) felt a dreadful (bl-hack!) draft coming from this thing, and I decided to (wheeze) close it. But there must be (ack) something in the air here that's making my (cough, cough, cough) allergies act up again! (Blargh!)"

"Oh, poor thing. Here, let's get away from this trapdoor."

"Yes, hrm, let's."

Blayke got to his feet, and Skyler was quick to put an arm around him and lead him away. He couldn't help but grin.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – (Isabelle is noticeably absent in the background) I can't believe that they fell for that one! After I already established my strong ability to make the most genuine-sounding of sneezes, coughs, and so on. Yeah, that girl is a threat, not necessarily to the game, but to our safety. Couldn't risk it, you know? Knowing this game, she'll be considered eliminated by the end of the day!

* * *

As the two of them reached the top of the escalator and set foot on the first step, Skyler happened.

To this day, neither of them found out how it happened. No one did, even after thoroughly reviewing the camera footage.

All that can be said is that they both ended up tumbling down the escalator, each hard, moving metal step at a time. And the fact that the steps were moving down in the first place made the fall even faster and harder. Both Skyler and Blayke screamed in shock and confusion, then terror, and then pain, as they both hit the ground with a smack in front of the fifteen other contestants and Isabelle.

Skyler, used to this all the time, was barely injured. But with Blayke…well, let's just say that after the fall, there was much more red on him than his hair.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – (Now holding a blood-stained white rag to his nose) Ack! That stupid klutz! No one does that to me! NO ONE! Urg…note to self: Never let that girl help me around again. This time, I'm not acting. However…I do feel that this will earn me some sympathy from the others, so this could be good for me.

* * *

A few of the contestants glanced back at Blayke, blood still trickling from his nose, before looking back at Isabelle.

"OK, kids! Let's all do a head-count…"

Isabelle pointed at all of the teens' heads and mouthed the numbers to himself. He stopped at seventeen.

"What the…we're missing someone! Where's that psycho?"

Everyone else looked around, and realized that Isabelle was right; the psycho blonde was nowhere to be seen.

Off to the side, the guilty Blayke snickered and grinned; covered up by a cough and the rag over his mouth.

"Well…knowing that girl, we're all better off without her, eh? Especially for today's challenge. We'll just say that she's still back on the Jet, and we can go."

And with that, Isabelle led them all to a massive speedboat docked just a few minutes' walk from the runway, which the eighteen of them had boarded. She took them out into the middle of the ocean, where they were now on a massive floating barge. There were three massive holes in the side of it; docking bays for the three yellow submarines that were right alongside the barge.

"Alright, kids! Here's your first task! Here we are the Fire Kingdom! The crown jewel of the Pacific! The vacationing spot of a lifetime!"

"The location of the finale the original third season?" Blayke asked, his voice nasal with the rag.

"Yes, yes it is. Anyway, so here's the deal: We've managed to seal off this massive, three-mile-wide circular area in the middle of the ocean just for us! We've marked the perimeter with buoys, so you know when you've reached the edge of the course. Anyway, you will split into three teams, at your own choice, where you will board these submarines…"

"NOOOOOO!"

Even Isabelle jumped back in shock at the sudden and spontaneous outburst. The contestants all dispersed from the source of the sound: Tanooki. The regularly calm and relaxed optimist was wide-eyed and biting his nails.

"NO! No submarines! You can't put me on a submarine! We'll get the bends! We'll get attacked! We'll sink! We'll DIE!"

"What's the matter with him?" Isabelle asked loudly.

"He's afraid of submarines, remember?" Rain reminded the host, going up to Tanooki.

"No…no…"

"Tanooki, listen. It's part of a challenge. We have to do this."

"No! I'm not doing this!" Tanooki insisted. "I'll quit! I'll go back to the plane now! Someone, anyone? Can someone give me a ride back to the runway?

"If you don't shut up right now…"

"NO! I will NOT shut up, because I am going to DIE! Don't you get it!" Tanooki quickly raced up the nearest camera and threw his face against it. "MOM! I hope you're hearing or seeing this right now! I'm gonna leave you all the useless junk in my room! Give it to the Salvation Army or something! It's no good to me now! I had an awesome time here, and I'll never-."

There was a loud CLANG. The tirade was interrupted, and the others all cringed. The cringing turned to shock when they saw that Isabelle had done the same thing that had been done to Owen last time; hit him in the head with a frying pan.

"Alright, now that we've got that settled…" Isabelle tossed the pan away. "As I was saying, so you will split into three teams of your picking, man your subs, and head down into the ocean. Don't worry; it's only about 500 feet deep at maximum. But you guys will have to scan the ocean floor for treasure chests!"

"Treasure chests?"

"Oh, boy. Talk about imagination."

"Hey, we're running low on ideas here, punks! Give us some slack!"

"Yeah, right."

"OK…so, the chests will have numbers on them matching the ID number of your sub. Only matching chests will be allowed. You may use your sonar, your lights, or your eyes to find it. When you find it, you must use the sub's mechanical arms."

Is gestured at one of the nearby subs, where the teens noticed the arms for the first time. One on each side, both at the front of the submersible, they were long and very spindly. They were covered in gears and wires, with gaps between appendages like a skeleton. And the claws at the end were like a four-fingered hand; three fingers on one side, one on the other. As if on cue, the arms started moving around, controlled by an intern inside.

"Inside, at the head of the controls, are bracelets that one of you must attach your own arms into. Basically, they're like a kind of sling, or long glove. You fit your arms into them, then move them around. The arms follow your arms' movements, right down to the fingers. You use them to grab the chest. The first team to retrieve their chest and return to their appropriate docking bay wins the first-class area from here to the next destination. The other two teams stay in the economy-class section. Got it?"

After the consensus of nods, Isabelle replied, "Good! Now, pick your teams! But first let me say this: Due to the absence of the hose-beast, we must have two teams of six and one of five. Now go!"

Almost instantly, L and Wendy were together, as were Tanooki and Rain with them (with Rain having to drag Tanooki's slumped form over).

"Alright, the old alliance back together!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Except Luigi." Mr. L added curtly.

"Hey, guys? Can I join your team, too?" Wario asked as he came up.

"I don't know…" Mr. L replied, regarding him with disapproving eyes.

"Of course you can." Wendy quickly agreed.

"Cool, thanks! This is the winner team right here! Woo-hoo!"

Off to the side, a bunch of the girls were all standing in a group.

"I'm all for a girls-only team!" Madison declared.

"Me too!" Isabel added.

"Me three!" Susan agreed without thinking much of it.

"Me four." Toadette added, never looking up from her phone.

"Uh, I guess it's OK." Skyler agreed. "But can we let Logan join?"

The girls glanced over at the Shakespearean, who was still glancing over at Mona, who was teaming up with Pauline and Rosalina.

"No way!" Madison steamed.

"But he's hot!"

"And we'll have him all to ourselves; no other boys!"

"Please?"

"OK, fine! You! Drama King! Here, now!"

Logan barely even turned around before he felt a bunch of hands swarm him and pull him over to the group.

"You're with us now!" Isabel chirped happily, bouncing up and down.

"Uh, OK. Great. Heh-heh…"

Mona, over with Pauline, Rosalina, Iggy, and Blayke, sighed.

The last one left, Katelyn, looked around nervously and realized that she was alone. She slid over to the team with Pauline and the others, and asked Iggy, "Hey there, Iggy? Mind If I join you guys?"

"Uh, sure. We've got room for one more."

"Awesome!" She exclaimed, officially joining the team.

"OK, so we've got our three teams! The team with all the couples in it, you'll be team one! Team with all the girls, team two. And the last team is team three. You have two minutes to get into your submersibles and prepare for the challenge."

"OK, here we go." Mr. L sighed as the team approached the submersible.

Off to the side, Wendy glanced at him worriedly.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Wendy** – OK, what is up with L? I know him, and he loves nautical stuff like this! He should be overjoyed that we're in the Fire Kingdom, going in submarines, on a treasure hunt! And the way he almost turned down Wario from the team…something's wrong with him. And I intend to find out what.


	3. Firelulu Punch Part 3

The three teams had all settled in their submersibles. Each sub was approximately ten feet by ten feet wide, and five and a half feet tall on the interior, but was mainly a torpedo shape on the exterior. The overall vessel was nearly twenty feet long. Each had a massive propeller on the stern, on a swivel setup that made it turn side-to-side. There were three portholes on each side, as well as a square viewing glass on the front. Beneath each one were landing struts, much like a helicopter. Each was a bright yellow, with thick black stripes above and below each row of windows, as well as the ID number in black.

After the teams had settled in, Isabelle's voice boomed over the radios of each sub.

"Alright, deep-sea wannabes! Here's the gist: You've all got a time limit of three hours to search for your chests. The controls for the subs are very simple: There are two red joysticks on the control panel, at the front, or bow, of the vessel. The one on the right moves the vessel up if you press it forward, down if you press it down, side-to-side if you move it side-to-side, and diagonally if you move it diagonally.

The one on the left moves it forward, back, turns it, and yadda-yadda. I explained how the arms work. One person needs to pilot the sub. One controls the arms, one mans the radars, and the rest can do diddly-squat! But it's advised that those left over scan with their eyes, look through the windows for the chests. If you all encounter each other…DON'T YOU PLAY BUMPER-SUBS OR YOU'LL ALL BE SLEEPING WITH THE FISHIES! CLEAR?"

None of the contestants knew how to talk back with a radio, so they just kept silent.

"Good. Now, you may all begin. The ignition is right there on the control board. Look for it. Now like I said, first team to find their chest within the time limit and manages to bring it back to the docking bay gets to stay in the first-class area to the next destination. The other two don't. Inside your chests are certain…hee, hee, rewards. You will get to keep these rewards if you successfully find them and return them to the surface. Now have fun, happy subbing…whatever. I hate givin' farewells as much as I hate given' introductions."

The radio clicked off, and the subs' respective and self-proclaimed pilots quickly took action.

* * *

 **''Team One: Mr. L, Wendy, Tanooki, Rain, and Wario''**

L immediately jumped on the controls and turned the ignition.

"Hang on everyone!" He declared. "We're going in!"

He turned the key, and the sound of the engine started up with a whine and a hum. There was a noticeable look of displeasure on his face.

"If Isabelle knew her nautical know-how, she would know that submarines aren't started like cars." He shook his head in disgust.

There was a jolt as the cables fastened to the sides of the sub detached, and it fell a few inches to the water. It slammed on the surface, causing everyone to move around a little. Rain held onto the unconscious Tanooki as the vessel shook, then looked up in terror and rolled over as Wario nearly fell on her.

"Oof! Be careful there!" He yelled back.

"Sorry; can't help the impact."

They all glanced out the portholes and could see the white wash turn to bright blue water as it swirled around the portholes, engulfing them. Bubbles flew up past it in streaks, and the water, along with the vessel itself, eventually grew steady.

L, at the controls, remained steadfast. "I've been on all kinds of seagoing vessels many times in my life. I've got a sailor's stance. Not to worry, everyone. With me at the wheel…er, joysticks, we will have victory."

Wendy glanced at him uneasily, stunned by his competitive attitude.

He then pulled the left joystick back and slowly started to guide the sub backwards out of the docking bay. Once they were clear of the barge, he slowly turned it to the left, twisting the vessel slowly to the right, swinging around until it was facing the open sea.

"The great blue. An unknown galaxy on our own planet." L inhaled deeply, then exhaled with satisfactory. "I feel more at home here."

With that, he slowly eased the left stick forward, moving it slowly through the blue. The bubble streaks now moved at an angle past the portholes. Rain watched as several fish swam by.

"Wow…on the surface, barely a minute in, and it's already beautiful."

"Quite. The Fire Kingdom is one of the world's most beautiful vacation spots. I know it was Elvis's favorite. Mine too."

He then slowly started to pull the right stick back, moving the sub down into the water deeper. The swirls vanished, replaced by nothing but water. It started to turn into a rich shade of navy blue, slowly growing darker and darker as they descended. The sun's light was already growing faint…

"Wario."

"Yes, captain?"

"I want you to man the sonar."

"I'm honored!"

The large teen lumbered over to the small, dark green screen. He placed his hands on the side of it and peered closely at it.

"I'll explain the concept of sonar to you. Now, the screen itself is dark green, right?"

"Right."

"Good. And there should be a shape in the dead center of the screen, that is a light green color, right?"

"Yep. It's shaped like our sub!"

"Exactly. That it us. There should also be a thin, light green line tracing circles around the screen, stemming from us. That is the tracker to detect if anything large or significant is in the area. When it detects something within the radius, there should be a beep, and the object will flash onto the screen in the shape of whatever it's shaped like, and the size will be its size compared to us. It will only appear when the line moves over it. That shows where it is in relation to us. Understanding so far?"

"Crystal, cap!"

"Good. Are there rings around us, growing larger and larger as they move further away from us, as well?"

"Yep!"

"Those are the various distance zones. The different distances an object can be. Now, if these chests are built accurately, they should have some metal in them, in the form of handles or a padlock. That should be enough to give off the magnetic signal that the sonar detects. When it beeps, focus on the object on the screen and tell me what it is. What it's shaped like, what its size is, where it is in comparison to us, what direction, what distance, and if it's moving towards us or away from us. Got it?"

"Eh…I think so."

"It's a simple job. Imagine what technicians in the real things have to go through! These are toys compared to those babies. So go ahead and watch. It may get boring after a while…"

"Not to worry! I brought snacks! Look Bars, anyone?"

"I'll take one."

He handed one to Rachael.

"I've also got Three Musketeers, Butter Fingers, Hersheys, Crunch…"

"He's prepared." L muttered with a slight smile. "Wendy."

"Yes?"

"You're the only other person available. Rain has to watch Tanooki, I assume?"

"Yes." Rain replied over the Look Bar she was chewing.

"Alright. You will man the mechanical appendages."

"Got it." Wendy crawled over to the bracelets, which looked very much like nets.

"You don't need to put them on yet, but be prepared when we find our chest."

"You got it."

"Isabelle already explained how they work. It's really easy."

"Yep."

"OK, sailors. You've all got your assignments. Now let's win this challenge!"

The last bit of sunlight vanished as they slowly descended.

* * *

 **''Team Two: Isabel, Toadette, Susan, Skyler, Madison, and Logan''**

Team Captain Madison was at the controls. She had Susan watch the sonar, telling her to listen for the beep and watch for the "flashy thingy," and Logan would man the arms.

"Ugh! This space is cramped! My high heels are killing me in here!"

"Relax, Isabel my friend. This will all pay off soon. I'm perfectly capable of this joystick nonsense. We will find the chest."

"Ah…the ocean. The final frontier." Logan sighed, glancing out the porthole at the wildlife that fluttered by. "We've reached the longest deserts, scaled the tallest mountains, and trekked through the densest forests. We have even discovered distant galaxies. But we are still not yet familiar with the deepest trenches in the ocean."

"Really?" Susan asked.

"Yep.

"Well, you think it'd be easy."

"I'm sorry?"

"Trenches…in the ocean?"

Logan looked back at her with a blank stare.

"I get wet in the bathtub!"

Logan was confused, then realized what she meant and facepalmed. "Ugh…not drenches, Susan. Trenches. They're deep pits in the ocean. Deeper than Mt. Everest is tall."

Susan gasped. "Pits? You mean like Chad Pitt?"

"Ugh…"

"That's Brad Pitt, moron!" Isabel shot back.

Susan did not seemed fazed by the insult. "Oh, but he's so hot, isn't he?"

"I know, right! He's totally adorable!" Isabel agreed, leaning back and swooning at the very thought of him.

"Remember, in that one movie, when he was a Greek guy who killed a bunch of people?" Skyler added.

"Yeah! So…yummy! He'd probably drink the blood of whoever messed with him!"

"He would make an awesome Dracula!"

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Logan** – I don't mind the company of ladies, but these nut jobs…I can't stand it! I swear if I don't get away from the "Brad Pitt is a hottie!" stuff, I am going to lose it! And it takes a lot to make me lose it.

 **Madison** – Yeah, those girls are annoying. But not to worry; they are all perfect candidates for an alliance. But just an alliance; nothing more! Why else do you think I'd con them into joining me this time? Isabelle said just this once…right? Gaah! I can't stand the thought of being on the same team as these dunderheads!

 **Toadette** – (Simply sits there, texting)

* * *

 **''Team Three: Pauline, Cat Peach, Katelyn, Iggy, Blayke, and Mona''**

Cat was at the controls of the sub, and volunteers Isaiah and Katelyn were at the sonar and arms, respectively.

"So…what do you think we'll find in our chest?" Katelyn asked Iggy, who was leaning over the monitor.

"Who knows? I would like to say treasure, but knowing Isabelle, and this show? Probably a bag of peanuts or something lame like that."

"Ah…Well, it could be something good."

"Maybe…in a million years."

Katelyn couldn't help but laugh; a wheezing, strange sound that made Iggy cringe.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! That's hilarious!"

"Uh…yeah."

"He's right, eh. Knowing Isabelle, she's either cheap, or just plain mean to us, or both. She couldn't care any less if we risk our lives over a can opener or something."

"Risk our lives?" Katelyn asked, stunned. "This is dangerous?"

"Of course!" Cat, Pauline, and Iggy yelled back simultaneously.

"There's structural failure!" Cat explained.

"Or sharks, eh!"

"Or the bends!" Iggy added.

" 'The bends'?"

"A scenario where, if a submarine rises from deep water too fast, nitrogen bubbles form in the bloodstreams of everyone inside. It kills you in hours."

"Wow…"

"That could explain why ta is so terrified of submarines. I can't really blame him. Perhaps a relative got the bends, or something like that."

"Yeah, that could be it."

"My uncle's wife was once on a submarine that went down in the Pacific."

"Really?" Katelyn's eyes widened.

"Yeah. Power failure, they were down there for almost three whole days. They were running low on supplies. Another sub had to come and detach their battery to make them lose weight, and float to the surface."

"Wow."

"Yeah…"

Off to the side, a certain red-head leaning against the back wall glared at him.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – (Still empty except for Blayke) I was able to pass off that my uncle lives in the Gulf, and yet she buys that? I think that sounds like a load of bologna. I'm not believing it one bit. I have a feeling that she's got a little something for him…the way she was all ogling over him. Maybe that could be used to my advantage…

Still, I'm not happy to be on this team. But it's better than being over with the lovebirds and the jolly giant.

* * *

 **''Team Two''**

"How about Orlando Bloom?"

The loud beeping brought the redhead's attention, not to mention the attention of everyone else, back to the screen. She looked at it, and could see something huge.

"Oh my God! There's something huge here!"

"Where?" Madison asked without looking away from the viewport.

"Uh…off to the right – no, the left! The left, and up a little."

"So…northwest?"

"Uh, sure!"

Madison muttered something not nice, then slowly moved the left joystick to the left, turning the sub a few degrees port.

"Is it more in front of us now?"

"Uh…"

BEEP!

"Yes! It is!"

"Good. Describe it."

"Um…it's huge, I can tell you that…"

"How big?"

"It's way huger than us! It's like…the size of the plane! Maybe bigger!"

"For real? We've got something serious here."

"It's got a couple of sticks poking out of its top…and one from the front…"

"You mean…masts?"

"Casts? Who has a broken limb?"

"Ugh! You idiot! Never mind! What you're seeing is a ship! We've found us a shipwreck. We're sure to find something in there."

"Thar she blows!" Louis declared, pointing out of one of the portholes.

They all moved over to the portholes, some crowding around the single porthole Logan was at. Of course, at the bottom where they were, the water was dark and murky. But Madison had noticed the two floodlights on top of the submersible before entering. She glanced down at the control panel, scanning for something that would activate them.

She reached over for a red button and pressed it.

Almost instantly, everyone was thrown back against the stern wall of the submarine as the speed doubled. The whirring of the propeller grew louder as it spun faster, sending them through the water like a bullet.

"Ack! Slow us down! Slow us down!" Skyler screamed.

"I can't handle high underwater velocity!"

Logan was the one who scrambled to his feet and over to the control panel. Finding the red button Madison hit, he hit it again, slowing it down and sending the other five occupants sliding forward some.

As several of them groaned or rubbed their heads, Skyler sat up and looked over at Toadette. Barely fazed by the incident, she was even still sitting perfectly upright, texting on her phone. She had simply slid along with the change of velocity, never losing concentration.

"Don't you ever get tired of that thing?" Skyler asked incredulously.

No response.

"Ah, forget it."

Meanwhile, Madison crawled over to Logan.

"I'll be fine taking the wheel now, thank you very much."

"Fine."

"And the light switch is here."

He lightly pressed a square, yellow button, which lit up white when he pressed it. Outside, bright light bathed the area around them as the floodlights were activated. Almost instantly, gasps arose from inside at the sight of the massive ship, now fully illuminated.

Its wood was dark and worn-down. Long drapes of dark green seaweed covered the sides, and massive holes dotted it here or there. Several windows for the massive rear cabin were still intact, as was the anchor on the side and several of the masts still standing up, with slight torn fragments of sail on them. One mast was toppled over on the deck, hanging suspended over the side.

An eerie silence descended upon the submersible and its crew.

"Well, it's a good guess that that's where we'll find our chest. Hang on."

And with that, Logan slowly pushed the left stick forward, at the same time guiding the right stick backward, lowering them down slowly to level with one of the larger holes in the hull, just large enough for them to enter.

"It's not big enough! Turn around!" Isabel screeched.

"Quiet, please. I'm concentrating."

"It's no good! We're gonna crash and ruin our sub!"

"I said to be quiet, if you please. I need to concentrate…"

"YOU IDIOT!" Isabel leapt forward and pounced on Logan, knocking him fully into the left stick, also pushing it slightly to the right. The sub gained speed and, with the change in direction, was now speeding straight for the murky wall of wood.

A collection of screams sounded from inside the sub as it was on a collision course…

* * *

 **''Meanwhile, back on the Jet…''**

"Jeffrey! Jeffrey, where are you! Don't worry, Jeffrey; I shall find you! That evil new guy won't be able to keep you from…AHA!"

Chyna finally located the bottle cap, underneath one of the rungs of the ladder.

"There you are!" She exclaimed happily, with a "Mwah!" as she kissed it hard. "Now, let's get out of this place. It's a good thing I have feral night vision."

She ascended the ladder and reached the trapdoor.

"Hey, guys? It's me, Chyna! I found Jeffrey…again! And it was that no-good Blayke who tossed him down here; on purpose! I-."

Her ranting was stopped cold when she pounded on the trapdoor. It didn't budge.

"Huh…?"

She grabbed it and pressed harder. No movement.

"Um, guys? Anybody?"

She started bashing her head up against it, with no success in opening it whatsoever.

"Argh! Why! Won't! You! Open!" She yelled, a bang in between each word.

Finally, she gave up and slid back down the ladder into the depressing cargo hold.

"OK, no problem! I'll just find another way out of here…I'm gonna be…just…fine. (Gulp)"

* * *

 **''Back in the ocean…''**

 **''Team Three''**

"I'm telling you, we're going around in circles, eh!" Pauline exclaimed.

"Pauline, trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"I hope so, 'cause I don't know how to drive one of these things! How are we supposed to find this chest anyhow? How long has it been?"

Off to the side, Blayke sighed. "Sixteen minutes, and counting."

"This is nuts! What if we even find a chest, but it's not ours? That'll be humiliating!"

Almost as if to answer, there was a beep.

"We've got something!" Iggy declared.

"Oh, great! What is it, eh? A penny someone dropped in the water?"

"No…it's a shape about as big as us. It's also torpedo-like…it's got two triangle-like appendages, one sticking out of each side…"

"Does it have a thin frame? But a tall rear end?" Katelyn quickly asked.

"Yes!"

"Is the rear end kind of a crescent-moon shape?"

"YES!"

"We've got ourselves a Bruce, guys."

"A what?" Blayke asked dully.

"A shark."

The mixed reactions exploded instantly.

"Ah, terrific! We're all gonna die now, eh!"

"AUGH! Prepare for attack! We're dead!"

"OK, OK, just gotta stay calm…stay calm…maintain course…"

"Guys, guys! Chill! It's nothing to worry about! You can't be stuck on Jaws movies and garbage like that. Sharks are actually very harmless. They're much more likely to run than actually attack. You're more likely to get hit by a falling airplane part in the beach than be attacked by a shark!"

"Did you have to mention that, seeing as though we are on a plane this season?"

"Oh…well, sorry. But you get the idea!"

"It's closing…thirty yards." Iggy said weakly and nervously, his hands shaking.

"Sharks are not dangerous…"

"Twenty…"

"They will not attack unless attacked first!"

"Ten…"

"Just stay calm and don't instigate it, and…"

"It's hereeeeEEYAAAH!"

Iggy, and all of the others, were thrown around when the sub was suddenly jerked to the side violently by the ramming of the massive shark's nose into their side. Blayke, scrambling to stay in one place, glanced out the porthole and was greeted by a cavern of dark, lined with razor-sharp white steak knives.

"Mayday! Critical alert! Hit the deck!"

"We've got to fight, eh! We're gonna die!"

Blayke looked over at the mechanical arms, which Katelyn had "abandoned" in the impact. He raced over to them and started to fasten them on…

* * *

 **"Team One"**

"OK, so we haven't seen anything visually. Wario? Anything?"

"Uh, nothing cap-."

BEEP!

"Wait! There's something!"

"Good. Describe it."

"It's small, that's for sure. It's got a shape the bulges in the middle, but grows smaller at the top. It's got a perfectly square bottom…"

"That's it!" L exclaimed excitedly. "It has to be the chest! I'm activating the floodlights!"

L hit the yellow switch, illuminating the seafloor around them.

"ETA?"

"Excuse me?"

"Estimated Time to Arrival? When are we going to reach the chest?"

"Uh…"

BEEP!

"OK, it's a bit to the right…oh, you're going away from it!"

L wasted no time in turning the left stick slowly to the right, turning the sub at a nearly 80 angle.

"OK, it's more in front of us…still to the right."

L cranked it a little more.

"OK, good! Now it's…"

"There!" L exclaimed.

Wario and Wendy quickly looked over Mr. L's shoulder, out the viewport. There, illuminated in the pool of light, was the wooden chest. A single purple strand was draped over it, crusty and hard. On the front of the chest was a large, black 1.

"That's it, alright." Wendy confirmed.

"What's that on it?"

"Probably coral. Wendy, two arms!"

"Uh…we have only two arms."

"No, Wendy. It's a term that pirates and naval soldiers use to say 'Man the arms!'"

"Oh. OK."

Wendy went back over and strapped into the arms.

"OK…decreasing speed a few knots…"

Mr. L slowly released pressure on the stick, slowing the sub to a crawl.

"Good…good…there!"

L let go of the stick, stopping the sub altogether. He then slowly pulled the right stick down, lowering the sub until it landed softly on the ocean floor, sending a small cloud of dust rising up around the struts.

"OK, sweetheart. When you're ready."

Wee grabbed hold of the handles at the end of the braces, and slowly moved her arms. Outside, the thick mechanical appendages started to whir to life, moving with her physical commands.

"OK, OK down." L instructed.

Wendy casually lowered it down, inching the claws closer to the chest.

"Easy does it…you're almost there…GOT IT!"

Wendy's eyes widened when she heard the last two words.

"The claws are on it! Now quick, move the left hand a little to the left, and the right one right…"

She did so, slowly moving the claws down to the sides.

"Good…now down slowly."

She did as instructed.

"OK…stop!"

She stopped instantly.

"Grasp. You're at the handles."

Wendy started to squeeze, applying pressure to the handles. The four claws on each appendage slowly clamped down, grabbing the rusty metal handles and lifting them up.

"Great! You're doing great! Now lift!"

She raised the arms with ease, the mechanical ones taking care of the chest. As it rose, muck and sand rose around it, and the purple strand…moved.

Wario looked further down, and saw something.

"Uh…L?" He uttered in a nervous, high-pitched, squeaky voice.

Even the bold competitor's eyes were wide with fear and shock. "I see it."

The purple strand, which traced around over the back of the chest, led into the seafloor. It was a bright, mushy pink on the underside, with dozens of little holes lining it, that slowly came off of the chest as it rose: suctions cups.

"Oh, sh-."

There was a massive cloud of dust and murk as something burst from under the bottom. As the dust swirled around all of the viewing windows, the occupants of the vessel squinted hard through it to see…

…a massive, red orb with a black center greeted the main viewport. Everyone screamed in terror and L leaned back in shock as the mess cleared, revealing the massive octopus that had a hold of their chest. And they had a hold of it.

"Oh, dear."

Just then, all three submersibles heard the familiar sound on their radios. It was the simplest, calmest, most soothing sound they could ever hear. Yet they all couldn't have hated it any more.

Ding-ding!

Isabelle's voice followed. "That's right, kids! We're watching your actions from the hidden cameras, and we know it's perfect time for a musicaaaaaal numbeeeeeerrrr!"

"NO WAY!" All seventeen shouted back in fury and rage.

"Sorry. If you don't sing, you know what happens. You get disqualified, and do the big splat as soon as we start flying. Now let's hear it!"

* * *

 **''Musical Number** – **Submarines''**

 **''Mr. L:** In the first''

''Task of them all''

''We really need''

''Some serious gall''

''For we dive''

''To search for chests''

''And that's a real strive''

''But we must win''

''So here we are''

''And we are all in''

''Our very own''

''Our very own''

''Submarine!''

 **''All:** We are all in yellow submarines''

''Yellow submarines''

''Yellow submarines''

''We are all in yellow submarines''

''Yellow submarines''

''Yellow submarines''

 **''Logan:** Here we are''

''About to crash''

''Into a''

''Big old wall''

''I sure hope''

''We do not die''

 **''(Instrumental)''**

 **''All:** We are all in yellow submarines''

''Yellow submarines''

''Yellow submarines''

''We are all in yellow submarines''

''Yellow submarines''

''Yellow submarines''

 **''Cat Peach:** Heads up! Prepare for impact! Hull damage! Batton down the hatches!''

 **''Madison:** You idiots! Now we're gonna crash and die while singing! Swing around, Romeo! Swing around!''

 **''Logan:** As you wish, madam! (Logan grabs the left stick and pulls it back, twisting it to the left hard, just in time to avoid the wall and go straight into the hole)''

 **''Logan:** As we sail''

''Into this wreck''

''I sure hope''

 **''Isabel, Skyler, Susan, and Madison** all echo: We sure hope''

''That we won't wreck!''

 **''Girls:** That we won't wreck!''

'''Cause I want''

 **''Girls:** 'Cause we want''

''To find our chest''

 **''Girls:** To find our chest''

''And get back''

 **''Girls:** And get back''

''And finish the quest''

 **''Girls:** Finish that quest''

 **''All:** We are all in yellow submarines…''

(At this point, Tanooki finally awakens)

 **''Tanooki Mario:** Huh? Sub-submarines? I'm in a submarine? Why are you guys singing?''

''A yellow submarine…''

 **''Tanooki Mario:** Ack! An octopus? OH, GREAT! We're all gonna die!''

''Yellow submarine''

 **''Tanooki Mario:** Stop this ride right now! I wanna get off!''

''We are all in a yellow submarine''

 **''Tanooki Mario:** I'm too young to DIE!''

''Yellow submarine''

''Yellow submarine''

 **''Tanooki Mario:** Mooooommmmmyyyyy!''

''We are all in…a yellooooow''

''Submarine!''

''Yeah!''

 **''End Musical Number''**

* * *

"Wonderful, kids! Now you can go back to trying not to die. Isabelle out."

Almost instantly, the fun and loose atmosphere inside the three subs vanished.

"WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO? You guys let a squid attack us while I was out? What were you thinking?" Tanooki exclaimed. "Now we're all gonna die a suction-cup death! WHY?"

"Shut up! I need to…argh! Concentrate!"

L fumbled with the joysticks, cranking the left one back hard to back out of the squid's grasp. But the tentacles were already lashed around the sub, covering the portholes and wrapping around the struts. L jolted the right stick forward, trying to raise them, but it was no use. The rock had them, and was not letting them go anywhere.

"What are we gonna do?" Wario exclaimed, equally scared.

"Tanooki! Calm down, please?"

"I can't hold onto the chest much longer, L!"

Mr. L didn't hear any of the hubbub going on inside the sub. He was only focused on the gaping maw before him, stuck to the viewport, and lined with dozens, almost hundreds, of razor-like teeth, and an endless blackness within.

* * *

 **''Team Two''**

"Wow! Nice save back there, Blake!" Susan complimented.

"Thank you." Logan returned despite the incorrect name.

"OK, so whether or not this is real or something Isabelle put here, it's almost surely a lock that we'll find it in here…but where?" Madison asked no one in particular.

"That, my dear friend, is the question. Think of the most obvious place…something…"

"AAAIIIEEE!" Isabel screeched suddenly, causing all hands to fly up to cover ears.

"Ouch! Isabel, cut it out!"

"What's that!"

She pointed nervously out the port porthole. All eyes followed her shaking, manicure finger to see a skeleton right next to them.

All the other girls gasped and looked just as scared.

"Oh, that's nothing to be afraid of, ladies."

"Oh, really?" Susan asked doubtfully. "How do you know, Leech?"

"I'm getting a sonar reading off that. In order for that to happen, the sonar wave has to bounce off something either magnetic or a living organism. That's neither."

He pointed out the porthole nearest him.

"See those small metal dots in the hips and shoulder? Rivets. They're meant to hold the bones in place."

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Skyler** – Wow! Louis is good!

 **Madison** – Really, Isabelle. That couldn't have been more pathetic.

* * *

"Aside from the skeleton, I'm getting another strong reading on something else in here…it's just as large as the skeleton, and…"

BEEP!

"It's near. Everyone keep an eye out for…"

"How are we supposed to see anything? It's so dark you couldn't see your hand behind your face." Susan interrupted.

"That's what the floodlights are for…"

"But there's all kind of debris and junk lying around!" Isabel added.

"She's right about that one." Skyler agreed. "We have to find a way to better navigate.

At this, the cell-phone-a-holic glanced up. She stopped texting for a moment, then closed the keypad of the phone, swirled it around, and slid her fingers across a few times, activating a special app.

"What are you doing?" Madison asked when she stopped texting. "You…you actually stopped texting."

"I have a special night vision app on my phone. This should help out a little." She then held the phone up to one of the portholes. All the girls crowded around her shoulder to see it. Sure enough, the screen was nothing but a thick, light green and black interpretation of everything outside the porthole.

"With this, I can zoom in and out. And it's also infrared. Chances are there's something in there with heat. So if we find the chest, we'll know it."

Even Logan's eyes widened.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Logan** – Is there nothing that cannot be accomplished with today's technology?

* * *

They slowly moved through the wreck, nonchalant and taking their time scanning with eyes, sonar, and Toadette's phone.

But then the voice interrupted them.

"Attention all undersea worms! You've got exactly three minutes left to return! And it's an estimated two minutes just to get back to the surface…so you all have one minute left, chest or no chest!"

With the click of the voice, Team Two was enraged.

"Ah, great! How are we gonna find the chest now?"

"We just did." Toadette declared subtly.

"WHAT?" Everyone else in her sub exclaimed.

"It's right there."

She pointed at a small, bright green object on her screen, a little off to the side between a cluster of barrels and a slanted beam. It was the shape of a chest.

"That's it, alright! Let's get it!"

"Louis, turn around!"

"Turning 90o degrees to port." Logan turned the joystick to the left until the sub had swiveled around and was facing the direction of the chest. Now with the floodlights on it, Logan could just barely see it. The chest, sitting among the murk.

"About fifty seconds, ladies." Logan reminded them before jumping over to the mechanical arms and throwing his own arms into it. He wasted no time in moving them around frantically, but carefully and expertly. He brushed aside a few pieces of debris, wooden planks, and a couple barrels. He had to grab the beam with the claw of the left arm and throw it aside to fully reveal the chest.

"Twenty-five seconds!"

There was the chest, caked in mud. Logan advanced toward it, grabbing both handles with the claws and clamping down. He pulled it back up to them, hugging it against the sub.

"OK! Ladies! One of you come and get it! I can't hold this because I need to return to the controls!"

Madison raced up and slid her hands into the braces just as Logan pulled his own out. She grasped the handles at the end and maintained a firm grip. Logan dashed to the control board and grabbed the joystick, wheeling it around to face the hole in the side.

"Ten seconds!"

"Relax! We'll be out of here in five!"

Logan jolted the left stick forward and thrust the sub forward through the ship, kicking up algae and mud. They headed straight for the hole, already seeming like a gleaming light. As they flew past, they hit the skeleton dangling from the rafters, snagging it by its arm. No one noticed.

They burst through the hole in the hull, knocking off a few fragments of wood from when they scraped the edges. Almost instantly, Logan released the left joystick and slowly pressed the right one up.

"OK, beginning ascent!"

"Scent? I don't smell anything, besides Isabel's perfume." Susan bumbled.

"Sigh…"

* * *

 **''Team Three''**

"AAAUUUGGGHHH! We're all gonna die!" Pauline exclaimed. "I don't want to be eaten by a Jaws!"

"I told you, Jaws is overrated! Sharks are our friends!"

"Tell that to 'Bruce' here!"

"We need to stay calm, people! We'll live through this!" Cat insured them.

"Attention all undersea worms! You've got exactly three minutes left to return! And it's an estimated two minutes just to get back to the surface…so you all have one minute left, chest or no chest!"

"Come on! What are we gonna do now, eh?" Pauline exclaimed again.

"What do you think?" Ethan asked plainly, as if the answer was obvious. "We return. No use finding the chest now."

"But the shark!"

"Someone needs to use the mechanical arms!"

"I'll do it!" Katelyn volunteered. Everyone was stunned by her volunteering to fight an animal. "If it really does want to attack us, then we have to defend ourselves! And I promise not to hurt it!"

"Fine. Just get it off our a-."

"I will." She interrupted Pauline by a split second, saving them the vulgarity. She strapped into the mechanical braces, and started moving them around. Almost instantly, the shark caught the movement in its eyes and swam over to it, taking a break from chomping up the yellow hull. It started to latch its jaws around the right claw…

"Argh! Sorry, Brucey!"

Katelyn then jerked the left appendage arm, flexing her claws at the same time. That way, the sole finger stuck out. She guided it so that it pressed into the shark's black bead of an eye. The mighty fish instantly released the sub and started thrashing around wildly.

"It's let go! Get us up!"

"On it!" Cat flicked the right joystick up, and the sub propelled upward. Up and away from the sad scene below it.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Katelyn** – Oh…I feel so bad doing that to a poor, innocent shark! I hope you'll forgive me, Brucey!

* * *

 **"Team One"**

"Come on! Full thrust! Reverse it!" Mr. L grunted as he yanked the joystick back, tugging against the squid's grip.

"Pressure failure!" Wendy declared. "And I don't know how much longer I can hold on…"

"We're dead now! We are all officially dead now! SOMEBODY SAVE US!"

Tanooki, in his tirade, ended up crashing into L. Rain, right behind him, attempting to catch him, also flew into Mr. L, pushing the captain into the controls. The collision forced him down on both of the joysticks. Subsequently, they started moving into the mouth of the squid, and at the same time, trying to move up against the teeth.

"Argh! Get off of me, you psycho!" L exclaimed, heaving up and knocking the terrified party-goer away. "I'm trying to save us here!"

He thrust the joystick back again, and pressed the right one back a little, descending to medium level. This was a window of opportunity, for the squid had been so shocked by the jolt of it rising up so hard, as well as pressing into it so fast, that it let go of them with its mouth. The sub pulled out completely, and L wasted no time in slamming the right joystick up. They pulled up so fast, the single tentacle released the chest.

"Yes! We're free, everyone!"

In the sub, sighs of relief were breathed. Wendy relaxed her grip a little, but still held onto the chest. Wario jumped for joy (literally), and Rain had finally tackled Tanooki to the floor and managed to subdue him.

"Die…die…die…" He continued chanting.

"Oh, Tanooki." She shook her head in disbelief as she kept her arms wrapped around him.

A couple minutes later, the three subs had all successfully docked at the barge, and the seventeen teens exited them in various ways. Most fled from the vessels, glad and lucky to be alive. One (Tanooki) had to be thrown out, and a few others (Logan, Blayke, and Mr. L) were calm and nonchalant.

"Alright, let's see what the damage is! Team One, you actually managed to get attacked by a giant squid…and LIVED! AND got away with the chest! You guys were pretty good."

"So? Do we win?" L asked eagerly.

"I'll get to that. Most of you arrived simultaneously, so I'll let another factor determine it. Now, Team Two: You managed to infiltrate an old shipwreck and retrieve your chest as well! Very good! But you didn't have to go and criticize our props department!"

"We can't help it."

Isabelle growled disapprovingly before continuing. "And Team Three: You were the only ones to not bring back your chest. It's clear that you guys suck, and won't be staying in first-class."

The members all hung their head, except for Pauline and Blayke.

"Eh, I knew we'd lose anyway, eh."

"The other teams, you may open your chests and enjoy the prizes within!"

Isabelle then tossed two keys, one labeled "1" and the other labeled "2" to the respective teams. L eagerly caught the Team One key and was quick to open their chest. The terrible smell that arose from within, sending the others on his team into a coughing fit, didn't affect him in the least. He eagerly reached in and pulled out the reward…

"A novel?"

"With…your head on it?" Wendy asked.

"What is…?"

"Chef Isabelle's Published Manifesto?" They all exclaimed simultaneously.

"Oh! That's where that got to!" Isabelle walked up to them and pointed at the thick, orange book in Mr. L's hands. "This is a fine book, it is! She'll tell you all you need to know about toughening up and facing life!"

He walked away, satisfied, leaving Mr. L and his team alone with their "prize." 's hands were shaking, and his eyes bulging.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Mr. L** – F***! What a g****** waste of time! Stupid son of a b****! Damn that stupid Isabelle and her motherf****** manifesto!

* * *

"Uh, this key won't open our chest, Isabelle." Logan said plainly after jimmying the key roughly in their team's chest's lock.

"Hmm. Lemme see."

Isabelle analyzed the stuck key for a moment, then looked up at the front of the chest, just above the padlock, and brushed away the muck.

She and all of Team Two gasped in shock.

The chest had a big black "3" on the front.

"This is Team Three's chest! Not yours!" Isabelle declared. He then snatched the key away from Logan's frozen fingers, picked up the chest with one hand, and chucked it at Team Three. "Here you go, maggots!"

The chest flew and clobbered an unsuspecting Iggy.

"IGGY?" Katelyn cried in fear.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Iggy** – (With a bandage wrapped around his head) That stupid Isabelle! She needs to watch where she throws big wooden chests, GOSH!

* * *

As Katelyn tended to Isaiah, Cat took the Team Three key Isabelle also tossed them and opened the chest with it. Inside, they saw none other than a massive, medium-rare rib-eye steak.

"Wow, eh! Finally the sucky challenge pays off!" Pauline exclaimed as she snatched up the steak. "We may be staying in Loserville tonight, but we'll feast like winners!"

Cat could only smile as her girlfriend's spirits were lifted.

"Alright, enough talk! You can enjoy your prizes, but in terms of who gets first-class...it only seem fair that it goes to Team One, since they were the only team that actually won their chests for themselves!"

"OH, YEAH!" Wario exclaimed enthusiastically. "We won!"

"Alright!"

"Yes!

"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Mr. L exclaimed, sharing a hi-five with Wario and pumping his fists in the air. "Yes! Sweet victory! In your faces!"

"Hold up, Mr. Winner; get this: You'll all be going to tonight's elimination ceremony tonight!"

"WHAT?" Everyone exclaimed simultaneously in rage, shock, and confusion.

"Yep. But don't worry; you don't have to vote for someone in your team. You can vote for anyone, 'cause it's a free-for-all. Anyway, we'll all head on back to the Jet, and you'll have a while to make your choices."

* * *

 **''Later…''**

As the Jet took off from the runway, someone was still attempting an escape.

"Augh! How am I gonna get out of here?" Chyna exclaimed to herself. She ran up against the wall, sliding her fingers up and down across the cold metal wall, feeling the surface. "There must be another entrance! For the baggage! A cargo door, or some…aha!"

Her fingers found the gap between the door and the rest of the hull. It was a massive, rectangular door sideways in the wall. Given the Jet's crappy architecture, it was already fairly detached from its hinges.

"OK! Now I just need something…something, something, something!"

Chyna started flying through various suitcases and crates, searching for something that could…

"YES! Thank you!"

A wrench, large and in good condition.

"This will be perfect!"

With that, Chyna raced over to the door, found the rivets holding it in place, and started working away on them.

"I should be out of here soon! You hear that, Jeffrey? We're gonna be free of this dark, depressing place with the rats that always steal you!"

The first rivet clanked away under the mighty wrench…

* * *

 **''Meanwhile…''**

The seventeen other contestants all sat on and around the bleachers. Isabelle stood on the small, makeshift stage. "Alright, kids! Ya'll know how this works! I call your name, you're safe and receive a Barf Bag full of deeeeelicious airline-issued peanuts! So, without further ado, let's begin!

"The Barf Bags go to…ah, darn it."

"What?"

"I'm gonna have to refer to you all by name for this one. Darn it. I hate referring to you punks by name."

"Deal with it."

"Fine! Mr. L, Pauline, Cat Peach, Iggy, Katelyn, Isabel, Susan, Toadette, Mona, Wendy, Logan, Rain, and Wario!"

As he rattled off names, the Barf Bags went flying, where all the respective recipients caught them.

"Now…down to the four who actually received some votes!"

The remaining three all looked partially nervous. Madison's eyes widened, and she chewed her nails nervously. Skyler also had fear in her eyes and was shaking. Only Tanooki was relaxed, leaning back in his seat next to Rain, a hand on hers. Blayke was fairly complex, but noticeably rapping his fingers lightly on the wooden seat next to him.

"…Skyler!"

The clumsy girl held out her hand, only for the Bag to hit her in the face. "Ow!" She cried as she fell backwards in between the wooden rows.

"And…Blayke!"

"Thank you." Blayke replied as he caught his.

"You two…an unlikely and unsuspected bottom two: Cheerful Optimist Boy, and Evil Sexist Girl."

"Bite me."

"One of you two has seen their last…well, not to mention their first and only, day in Total Drama World Mario Tour! One of you has just joined the honorary First-Voted-Off Club! Requirement: Be the first voted off! Ain't that right, Miss Prom Queen? Napoleon?"

"I told you I'm out to redeem myself!"

"Same here!" The bandaged Iggy shot back.

"Whatever. Now, enough chat! The final Barf Bag of the day goes to…

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Madison!"

Almost instantly, multiple reactions went up. Several, such as Wendy and Rain, immediately protested. Logan and several others seemed more upset with Madison staying. She simply smiled smugly at them as she caught her Barf Bag.

"No!" Rain cried, grabbing Tanooki's hand. The optimist himself was stunned, but it quickly turned to a smile.

"Lorraine…it's OK." He assured her.

"No! It's not! You've just been voted out first!"

"Yeah! This is a load of bull!" Wendy agreed.

"Eh, those are the rules." Isabelle admitted, shrugging.

"Guys…don't worry about me." Tanooki said as he stood up and turned around to face the crowd. "I put up a horrible performance today, you know, almost getting us killed and stuff…I think I deserve this. Besides; I've made it far enough in both seasons. It's time for someone else to go far. Like you, babe."

"Me?" Rain asked incredulously, tears still streaming from her eyes.

"Yeah! I've been on longer than you in both seasons so far; I know you've got what it takes to win! I'll be watching and rooting for you from…well, wherever we losers go to."

Rain sniffed, and Tanooki wiped several of the tears away. "Thanks, Tanooki."

"No problem."

They immediately embraced, to a rise of "Aws" from the group behind them.

A few, however, rolled their eyes.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Mr. L** – Voting for Mark? Eh, not an easy choice, but it was necessary. Yes, he's my friend and all, but hey; he almost cost us the game, not to mention our lives. In this show, the game is the most important thing.

Madison – All of the girls on my team were about to go berserk and vote for each other! But then someone came to us and told us to vote Optimist off. That was clearly the superior choice. Popular, funny, good at the game…except for today, of course, according to the input of one of his teammates.

 **Wario** – Yeah…Sorry, man.

 **Blayke** – I eventually found out about what Tanooki did in his team's submarine. I wouldn't ever want to have that on my team. I was gonna take my informant's word for it, and I knew to get a large enough group of people to vote him off. He's everything a contestant needs to win this game. He's too big of a threat otherwise, and he was bonkers in this challenge. I'm glad that my plan worked perfectly. Those dysfunctional girls were easy to sucker into voting off a nice guy like him!

But still…I received a vote. I need to stay on high alert, and try to discover who it was that voted for me. I need to remember that I've still made a bad first impression on some, and it's going to affect me.

* * *

Tanooki finally pulled away from his embrace with Rain, and took a step back. He then looked past her at the crowd, and gave the peace sign. "Peace out, everybody!"

"Bye, Tanooki!"

"Happy landings!"

"Try not to die, eh."

Tanooki turned and walked towards Isabelle.

"Strap this on, kid. You've already wasted enough time as it is." Isabelle explained as he roughly pushed the parachute into his arms.

"Um, OK…" Tanooki fumbled with attaching it to his body like a backpack. "Can you, uh…just give me a second to-."

Isabelle responded with a swift kick to the backside, sending the unsuspecting teen flying straight through the open door, screaming the entire way down.

"Ha! I LOVE doing that!"

Tanooki tumbled straight down alongside the metal hull, the wall of gray rising up past him as he tumbled…

* * *

 **''Meanwhile…''**

After a long period of time, a massive, rectangular metal slab was suddenly kicked from its place in the side of the Jet, with several rivets flying around it. Shorty after, a wrench followed it.

Chyna stood in the hole where the slab had been, holding Jeffrey in her hand.

"OK, JEFFREY!" She yelled over the wind, which blew her clothes and blonde hair wildly. "IT'S TIME TO MAKE A BREAK FOR IT!"

She then placed Jeffrey between her teeth and clamped down tightly (so much so that the ridges dug into her tongue), then swung out and grabbed onto the ridges above where the door had been with both hands. Her legs were blowing back towards the tail of the Jet, but Chyna held on tight.

"MK, HEFFREY!" She yelled between her teeth. "WE'RE HALMOST…"

Not even the psycho could have seen what was coming, but she felt the hard, meaty smack of something about her size, and larger weight, slam against her from above, hitting her right in the face as she tried to look up. Her cry of pain was muffled, and her hands slipped from the side of the Jet. Before she even knew what had happened, she was now free-falling.

"ACK!" Chyna screamed, attempting at a normal scream. However, the moment she opened her mouth, Jeffrey slid right in and down her throat.

"Wa-ACK! COUGH!" She coughed and gagged as he slid down, but ultimately slid past without killing her.

"ACK! JEFFREY! NO!" She cried in horrified realization, clutching her stomach worriedly. "I WILL SAVE YOU!"

She then glanced up and over herself at what had hit her: Tanooki.

"Oh, hey Tanooki!" She called happily and normally, as if they were talking over tea. "What's up?" (Author's Note: Please forgive the pun)

"Oh, nothing much. Just got eliminated, though."

"Really? You? That sucks."

"Tell me about it. Serious downer. You?"

"Oh, I've been locked in the cargo hold!"

" 'Locked'? Someone locked you in there?"

"Yeah! It was that no-good new guy, Blayke! He grabbed Jeffrey and threw him in there, then locked the trapdoor behind me!"

"Wait…so you're telling me that Blayke is evil?"

"Yep. Now, if you don't mind, could you get that thing deployed and keep us from dying?"

"Oh, right…wait, how do I work this thing?" Tanooki cried, starting to grow frantic as he grabbed the various strings.

"Pull the left one first, then the right."

"The left first?"

"Right."

"The right first?"

"No, the left, then the right."

"Right?"

"No! The left!"

"Wait!"

"What?"

"I just pulled them both simultaneously…and…"

He showed her the two strings he held in each of his hands; both pulled completely off of the parachute.

"Oh…"

"Well, at least we're over water, right?" Chyna asked cheerfully.

Both teens then burst into screams, one of terror and one of laughing, as they both tumbled straight down to the Pacific.

Back in the Cockpit, Isabelle faced the camera as she expertly flew the Jet.

"So, there you have it, folks! What a shocking double-elimination! So, where will our next destination take us? Will Blayke strike an alliance with anyone, or will his true colors ever be revealed? Find out next time, in an all-new episode of Total…Drama…World Mario Tour!"

* * *

 **Votes**

 **Mr. L:** Tanooki

 **Wendy:** Madison

 **Tanooki Mario:** Madison

 **Rain:** Madison

 **Wario:** Tanooki

 **Isabelle:** Tanooki

 **Skyler:** Tanooki

 **Susan:** Tanooki

 **Toadette:** Tanooki

 **Madison:** Tanooki

 **Logan:** Madison

 **Pauline:** Madison

 **Cat Peach:** Madison

 **Katelyn:** Blayke

 **Iggy:** Blayke

 **Blayke:** Skyler

 **Mona:** Blayke

 **Overall:**

 **Tanooki Mario** – 7

 **Madison** – 6

 **Blayke** – 3

 **Skyler** – 1


	4. Sunset Brawls Part 1

"Last time on Total Drama Mario World Tour: Our contenders, after a long, two-year break, returned to the show once more, and took off on the trip of a lifetime! Eighteen passports. Destination: One million dollars! Our first stop was Firelulu! The contestants, split into three teams, had to go into small submersibles and dive into the great deep blue: The Pacific Ocean. There, they had to find the hidden treasure chests, each containing their various treasures.

"It was one heck of an adventure down there, if I do say so myself: Shipwrecks, skeletons, sharks, giant squids…and a whole lotta drama! Tensions were high, arguments and anger rose, and Optimist went psycho due to his sub-a-phobia, or whatever it's called. Thus, he earned his passport a stampin', and was sent packin'! But the real twist came when the newcomer psycho girl was locked in the cargo hold by the scheming new guy, Blayke! She managed to break out, only to be knocked right off the plane by the falling Party Boy, after yours truly had to escort him out! Both took a tumble, making last week a double elimination!

"Who will be voted off this week? Where will our challenge be? What will our challenge be? Find out right here, on Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

Since the events of the previous week, Mr. L, Wendy, Rain, and Wario had all been relaxing in the first-class area.

Well, some of them.

Rain couldn't get over Tanooki's elimination, and was over on the sofa, still sobbing lightly into her hands. She had actually gotten better in the few days since it happened; previously, she had been crying uncontrollably. Wendy had long since given up attempting to console her, and had just let her tire out. Fortunately, she had eventually resorted to venting in the Confessionals.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Rain** – TANOOKI! Why? …(Sob, sniff) I just don't understand why so many people would vote you out! You were an awesome guy, and still are! (wipes away several tears) I know you want me to be strong…I remember what you said. I'll win this for both of us, I promise!

 **Chef Isabelle** – (In the background, rubbing his forehead with one hand and sighing in exasperation) Hey, flying a plane here, girl! Give me a little slack!

 **Rain** – Well, you're the one who insisted on us first-class passengers having to use this Confessional instead of the other one in the first place!

 **Chef Isabelle** – Yes, because the Lavatory is reserved for the losers down in economy-class!

 **Rain** – This isn't the Titanic; we don't have to separate the classes anymore!

 **Chef Isabelle** – Not in the rest of the world! Here, it's different! Deal with it.

 **Wario** – This is sweet! Winners of the first challenge, what a deal! I could get used to this!

 **Mr. L** – We had better keep winning; but if we did lose, at least it would spare more carpets from getting soaked up and ruined by Rachael's tears.

 **Chef Isabelle** – She's staining the carpets? Aw, man! Those are hella expensive!

 **Mr. L** – I know!

 **Wendy** – This is great and all, but I still believe something's wrong with Mr. L. He shouldn't be so smug about winning. It's too much to simply call team spirit like with WarCongressionalat in one of the seats, reclining back and with one of the glasses in his hand, full of sizzling Dr. Pepper. Wario sat opposite him in a seat that was struggling to stay in one piece.

"Ah…I tell you, Wario. This is the life, eh?"

"You said it! I could get used to winning like this all the time!"

"Couldn't we all? Especially for the losers in the economy-class area right now. Sucks to be a loser."

"I know, right?"

Both boys shared a jolly laugh over their sick, competitive jokes. It was a moment before Wario introduced some sense into the situation.

"You know…you could be a little nicer to them."

"Yeah…"

"I mean, they could win, too."

"But then why didn't they? Exactly." He answered before James could respond.

"Well…"

"No wells. They lost, we won. That's all that's important." Mr. L ended it with a sip of his Dr. Pepper, the glass resting between his fingers. Wario looked on incredulously.

Farther behind them, Wendy was sitting at the conference table, playing Solitaire with a deck of cards that was already kept in the first-class area. She heard Matthew's comments and glared over at him.

* * *

 **Economy-class…**

One contestant's screams were beyond annoying and exhausting to all of the others.

"Ugh! I'm sitting on rust! This is repulsive! I didn't get any sleep last night, or the night before that, or before that!"

But for once, someone agreed. "Tell me about it, eh. For once, I actually agree with her. I mean, this place is danker than a tank."

"Pauline, we mustn't be so negative."

"How can we not be negative? It's been, what, three days? Three long days of staying with the rats, dripping water, and safety harnesses!"

"We can't have it all." Logan reminded her. "Besides, this is what transportation was like for the Pilgrims to Plymouth back in 1612."

"But these benches are made of plywood!" Susan complained, rubbing her backside discontentedly.

"Not plywood, Plymouth!"

"Potty-Mouth? Who's a Potty-Mouth?"

"Argh!" Logan slapped his face in frustration.

"Not the sharpest tool in the shed." Mona muttered, to which Logan looked at her and grinned slightly.

"Augh! How do I get out of these things? It's stuck again!"

They looked over at Skyler; she was stuck in the safety harnesses, again. One was wrapped around her torso at a slanted angle, and the other was round her neck, with her right arm bent in it, stuck between her neck and the harness.

"Oh, dear." Blayke muttered, grabbing one harness and sliding it over her arm, pulling the other off her chest.

"Thanks."

"No problem." Blayke grinned.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Logan** – I don't know who's worse: Whiny Isabel, or dim-witted pea-brain Susan! I can't stand either of them, and could not live with being on the same team as them! I just hope that those aren't official team arrangements…

 **Blayke** – I've got to stop being nice! Being nice is not my forte! I need to focus on forming my alliance…but that's hard to do on my team. I've got Napoleon, Animal-Lover, Goth girl who hates being here, Perfectionist, and Mute Girl. Not easy. Argh! I wish I was on that other team with all the girls! …Er, not for that reason, though! Because all of those girls are perfect sheep! They would be the perfect alliance! Maybe not a team, but definitely a good alliance for post-merge.

 **Rosalina** – Yeah, our spirits are down right now…but we need to toughen up! We'll win sooner or later…right?

* * *

Just then, the contestants all heard the voice booming over the intercom.

"Alright, fruitcakes! Wherever you are, report to the elimination area effective immediately! Isabelle out."

"Finally!" Isabel exclaimed. "Let's get out of here!"

Like a bullet, she was out the door, with everyone else behind.

Mr. L, leaning in his seat, heard the announcement and opened one eye.

"Ah. The next challenge awaits."

Mr. L sat up, pulling the seat back into place, and stood up, stretching and straightening out for a few moments as Wario and Wendy walked past. He finished off his drink and placed it on the bar, sliding his fingers along the elegant counter as he walked off.

Wendy stopped and looked back, seeing Rain still on the couch.

"Oh, dear." She hurried over to her friend. "Rain, honey, come on. We've got to go now." She put an arm on her friend's shoulder.

"Oh…I don't know how I'm gonna do! Maybe I should just quit now to be with Tanooki…"

"No! That's crazy talk, Rain! Tanooki told you that you are going to win this, and that's what you're going to do! Now get up on your feet, and let's go win us a challenge!"

She grabbed her friend and lifted her off the couch. Rachael barely had her feet on the floor to keep herself up as Wendy guided her over to the door.

A few minutes later, all sixteen contestants stood in a massive group in the elimination area, in front of the stage, with the door to their right, and bleachers to their left.

Isabelle stood in front of them, arms behind her back.

"Now…it's time for our second challenge! Can you believe that we've already lost two competitors in one day?"

"I'm not as surprised by the fact that we lost two people, as I am with who we lost." Violet stated with a shake of her head, still in disbelief.

"Yeah…but it makes all the more drama! See, I knew that changing the format to you guys voting again would make it better!"

"You made that choice?" Wario asked.

"Heck, yeah! I'm the host and co-producer now! I make a lot of the decisions, but mainly those centering directly around the show itself. And personally, I always hated the idea of the viewers voting. See, they know what goes on on-camera; i.e., the stuff that some of you guys ain't supposed to know! You know, Confessionals and stuff like that!"

Off to the side, Blayke nervously tapped his foot once on the metal floor.

"So, they could go and vote off, say…Prom Queen over here!" Isabelle jerked a thumb towards Isabel.

"Hey!"

"Just because she was evil when the rest of you didn't know it."

"That wouldn't be the only reason, eh." Pauline muttered. Blayke and Rosalina heard, and both chuckled. Fortunately for them, Isabel didn't hear it.

"With you guys voting, you make the choices based on what you know. It can affect some of your friendships, and even relationships! More drama, more ratings!"

"What are you saying? I'm not evil! I'm a little angel!"

"You never know. With this show, anything can happen." Mr. L shrugged. Isabel glared at him.

"True. Anything…hee, hee, hee…" Isabelle chuckled evilly.

"So what is the challenge? Where are we going?" Mona asked, looking around.

"Oh…you'll see…you'll all see…"

"Yeah, shouldn't we be landing right about now?" Blayke asked nonchalantly.

"Oh, glad you asked that!" Isabelle exclaimed delightfully.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – (Once again, the confessional is empty save for Blayke) (Sigh)…I never, ever, should've asked that.

* * *

"You'll be landing…right now!"

Suddenly, the contestants felt the floor give out from under their feet. The whooshing of air was all they heard as everything flew up around them. Before they all knew it, they were falling through the newly-opened trapdoor. Blue sky was all around them, with a few clouds for them all to fall through, and the Jet above them was flying away, growing smaller and smaller.

"AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!"

"NOOOO!"

"HELP!"

"I CAN'T DIE LIKE THIS! I HAVE PETS!"

"It figures, eh."

"Pauline! How can you be so…so casual?" Rosalina asked incredulously as they fell. She arched her body and dipped at an angle to fly closer to Pauline.

"I knew we'd die sooner or later on this show. It's so typical. I mean, our challenges would kill regular people; we're just freaks. Besides, we've seen interns die; why can't we?"

"Hey! Who are you calling a freak, Goth Girl?" Isabel shrieked.

They both ignored the Prom Queen.

"There was no way we could know that we'd free-fall to our deaths on this show! What IS it with you?" Rosalina asked, now enraged with Pauline's attitude.

"Isabelle is glad to be rid of us. Remember how willing she is to throw knives at people, or push people off cliffs? Now we're all gonna die, eh. And die hard."

Then, incredibly, they heard the sound. Even in mid-air, it still registered clearly.

Ding-ding!

"OH, NO!" Rose the general cry from the group of falling teens.

The Jet swooped overhead, Isabelle in the door with a megaphone. "Hear that, kiddies? Time for our song!"

"NOW?" Wendy roared. "We're about to DIE!"

"They did it last season, ya know! You can do it, too! And, maybe, if you sing, you'll live! So just sing

* * *

 **''Musical Number** – **Before We Die''**

 **'''Wendy:** ''We're singing as we're falling!''

 **'''Isabel:** ''While some are cannon-balling!''

 **'''Katelyn:'''** Yeah!

 **'''Blayke:'''** ''Our lives begin to flash before our eyes!''

 **'''Mr. L and Wario:'''** ''We might just go ka-blooey!

 **'''Rain and Rosalina:'''** ''Get smushed and become chewy!''

 **'''Everyone:** 'Cept there's tons we wanna do before we die!''

 **'''Isabel:'''** Billionairess!

 **'''Iggy:'''** Billiards champion!

''' **Katelyn** :''' Marry Iggy!

''' **Mona** :''' Catch a barrel!

''' **Skyler** :''' Be an actress in a drama!

 **'''Rain:'''** Corporate lawyer!

 **'''Wendy:'''** Prom destroyer!

 **'''Pauline:'''** Be a ninja with throwing stars!

 **'''Blayke:'''** Lion tamer!

 **'''Wario:'''** New food namer!

 **'''Logan:'''** Repairman for the parallel bars!

 **'''Blayke:'''** ''But first we must cease dropping, our goal here would be stopping!''

 **'''Susan:'''** ''Before we smash into the ground from the sky!''

 **'''Logan:'''** ''Flat into little pieces!''

 **'''Pauline:'''** ''Heads merged with our feet-ses!''

 **'''Skyler:'''** ''That would really suck and here's why:''

 **'''Mona:'''** ''We'd like to keep on living!

 **'''Blayke:'''** ''So Isabelle, we hope you're giving:''

 **'''Toadette:'''** Some wings!

 **'''Mona:'''** A jetpack!

 **'''Wendy:'''** A rift in time!

 **'''Isabel:'''** Parachute?!

 **'''Pauline:'''** Waterbed!

 **'''Logan:'''** A trampoline!

 **'''Katelyn:'''** Springy shoes!

 **'''Blayke:'''** Rocket boots!

 **'''Skyler:'''** Flying squirrel!

 **'''Susan:'''** Bubble bath!

 **'''Skyler:'''** I change to bubbles, too!

 **'''Wario:'** Pizza! No! ''Chips and some dip will do!''

 **'''Everyone:** Cause there's still so much to do before we die!'' Yeah, we said it! ''There's still so much to do, there's still so much to do, there's still so much to do before we die!'' Yeah!

 **'''Wario:** Yeah!"

 **''End Musical Number''**

* * *

"Very good, maggots! Now, go ahead and pick up where you left off."

And with that, Isabelle flew off and into the clouds…literally.

The contestants immediately picked up the screaming once more, flailing and tumbling towards the ever-approaching ground. Looking down, they could now see tall buildings and streets. A city. There were even bustling groups of people below them. Soon, the peaks of most buildings had risen around them…

The sixteen teens then felt the stinging, blasting sensation of cold water as they landed. Their world became confusing and disoriented as it swirled up around them, a mix of swirling blue and muffled sounds. After struggling to find which way was up, they all popped up on the surface, gasping like fish.

"UGH! This water is below freezing! Where are we, Antarctica?"

"I thought Hell would be hotter than this…" Pauline muttered as she poked her head above the water.

"Aren't you ever grateful?" Rosalina asked with disgust.

"Who cares? We're alive!" Wario cheered. "YES! It's good to be alive!"

"Wow…we seriously lived…I just can't believe it…" Rain rambled.

"Falling…falling…falling…falling…falling…" Madison was repeating, cradling herself in the fetal position in the water.

"Ha! I knew that Isabelle would have something for us to land in!" Mr. L exclaimed. "But where the heck are we?"

"I know." Iggy muttered in shock, looking up with the most bewildered look on his face.

"Well? Spit it out!"

"Look up there…" Iggy raised a shaky finger out of the water and pointed up. Most of the contestants followed his gaze, and similarly, their eyes widened and jaws dropped.

Farther away from them, but still towering enough for their shadow to fall on them, were two crystalline towers. They were twin towers; both exactly the same, wide at the bases and growing thinner towards the top, climaxing in pinnacle antennas. There was a skybridge between them, and the towers themselves were of a silvery color that glowed in the sun. The shadow of one was draped over the teens in the pool of water.

"Do you know what those are?" Iggy exclaimed as he already started climbing from the pool of water, onto some nearby rocks. The others followed suit.

"I know." Mr. L replied. "The Petronas Twin Towers."

"Precisely, my friend! We're in Sunset Heights, Dawn Kingdom! Yes!" Iggy pumped his fists into the air, his wet shirt clinging to his soaking body, and his hair a flattened mess. Specks of water clung to his glasses. It was quite a hilarious sight; as messed up as he was, he was still celebrating.

"What are the Twin Towers?" Susan asked dimwittedly. "Weren't those, like, destroyed by plane-."

"NO!" Iggy shot back quickly, interrupting her. "These Twin Towers were constructed much later." He then went into an intelligent-sounding, narrative voice. "Constructed from 1992 to 1998, these two buildings together were the tallest in the world, surpassing Rabbit Ridge's Carrot Tower. In 2004, they were upstaged by the Taipei 101, but still remain the third-tallest building in the world. They have approximately 88 floors and are approximately 1482.6 feet tall, or 451.9 meters. They are a popular destination for skydivers, building-climbers, and other thrill-seekers."

"That's right! And you are today's thrill-seekers!"

The contestants, some still in the water and some on the perfectly-situated rocks around them, looked over as Isabelle walked up.

"Welcome to Sunset Heights! As Napoleon here pretty much already laid it all down for ya'll, there's really no need to explain any more. But he's right; today's challenge will involve these here Twin Behemoths in the sky: The Petronas Towers! These landmarks are ours to use just for this one day, and we can do whatever we want with 'em for our liking and filming…as long as no one dies."

The last comment sent nervous glances through Isabelle audience.

* * *

 **''Half an hour later…''**

The sixteen teens, and Isabelle, were standing on a large wooden platform that had been crudely and poorly attached to the antenna of the east tower. It was square, with a hole in the middle for what little remaining part of the pinnacle of the tower to go through. There were long, thick wooden beams underneath that went from the bottom of the platform into the side of the thick antennas, and did not look securely attached. Most of the contestants even swore that they could feel the platform swaying in the wind.

But that wasn't the worst part.

The contestants were all staring, wide-eyed, at the long tightrope stretching from their platform all the way to a similar, matching platform attached to the opposite antenna on the west tower. Isabelle stood before the tightrope, a bundle of balancing poles on the floor next to him, and the smuggest of grins on his face.

"No…way!"

"Now we're really gonna die hard!"

"My heels will never fit on that flimsy little rope!"

"I'd like to express some concern over the safety of…"

"All of your stupid questions' are answered by what you see, punks! Two huge, matching towers and a free day to have them to ourselves? You think we were gonna miss out on this? As if! So, you will be tightrope-walking from here to the other tower. You may use a balancing pole if you so wish, but be careful; the poles were expensive!"

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Wendy** – Jerk.

 **Iggy** – Cool! Sunset Heights! This is awesome! I've always wanted to study the intriguing architecture of the Petronas Towers…well, now I'll get to study them, alright. In a way I never would've wanted to! Heh, heh…gulp.

 **Mr. L** – Tightrope-walking between two of the tallest buildings in the world? Bring it on!

 **Isabel** – (One bare foot up on the sink, and a high-heel shoe in her hand) See this? This will never be able to balance on that skimpy excuse for a tightrope! I can't do this!

 **Pauline** – We survived falling once; let's see if there's a children's water park beneath this.

* * *

"Wait, Isabelle!"

"What is it, Drama King?"

"What are the team arrangements for this challenge? Or is this just a free-for-all?"

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot…see, your teams are the same ones that you all picked last week!"

"Say what now?"

"You're kidding, right?"

"I just didn't tell you that those were official arrangements! Yep, your teams based on last episode's pick are the three official teams for this season! I just told you that would be a one-time arrangement so that you would be more randomly mixed, because you wouldn't care who you were with, thinkin' it was just for one day. So you could be stuck with your worst enemy, for all we know, and now you're with them for the whole season!"

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Logan** – Man. That guy is good.

"Now quit your whining and get with your respective teams! Take a few minutes to come up with a team name."

"This is a load of bull!" Pauline exclaimed. "I didn't want to be on this team all season!"

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Rosalina asked angrily, putting her hands on her hips.

Pauline quickly went on the defensive. "Ah! No, eh! I didn't mean it like that!" She then leaned closer to her. "I just can't stand Napoleon over there. He's a little creepy, eh."

"What do you…?" She looked over at Iggy, who was leaning against the antenna of the tower. He slowly brushed his fingers along the slick metal, then sniffed his fingers. "Hm, the paint is growing a little dry."

She leaned in to Pauline. "I see what you mean. Just try to deal with it, alright?" She gave her a quick, reassuring pat on the shoulder. "At least you're not over on that team."

She gestured over to the girls' team, where a heated debate over the name was going up.

"I'm telling you, 'Team Glamour' is the best name!" Isabel protested.

"And I'm telling you, it should be 'Team Dominance'!"

"What about Team Amazon?"

"Uh, Susan? That name has been used already."

"I think, maybe, it should be Team-."

"SHUT UP!" The girls yelled back in Logan's face.

"And…Time's up!" Isabelle declared. "Team names?"

"Team Victory II!" Wario and Mr. L simultaneously declared over on their team. "As an homage to the original Team Victory," Mr. L explained, "only we will actually win more challenges, unlike those pathetic losers from last season."

"Team Madison." Madison promptly declared before the others could even say anything.

"What?"

"It's the superior choice. Trust me."

"Fair enough!" Isabelle declared before anyone else could protest.

Meanwhile, the members of Team Three were still torn.

"This is ridiculous!" Rosalina explained. "We need more time."

"How about Team Rabid?"

"Or Team Clever?"

"Just say Team Sahara and get on with it." Blayke declared.

"Team Sahara? Ooooh, that has a nice tune to it." Mona agreed.

"Eh, it sounds good to me."

"Fine." Isabelle quickly interjected. "You guys are Team Sahara. OK, now that we've got all that settled, it's time to get on with the challenge. Team Victory II, you're up first. You can all choose which person goes first."

"I'm not going until you tell us what safety arrangements you've made to properly insure the non-lethality of this task." Wendy declared.

"Fine. Crybaby. If you must know, you'll all have to wear these parachutes." Chef then pulled out an example, which looked exactly like the one Tanooki had to wear before…

"You will wear these, and if you do start to fall, deploy it to save your life. Isabelle will drift softly, slowly, and safely to the ground below. That 'safe' enough for ya?"

"Relatively."

"Good. I'm glad to hear it. Now send someone up!"

"I'll go."

Mr. L approached Isabelle, taking the offered parachute and balancing pole, and stood at the start of the tightrope. He held out the pole, taking a few moments to position it just right. It wobbled for a moment, so he straightened it out. Behind him, Isabelle tapped her foot.

"Anytime…"

"I know." Mr. L shot back quickly. He inhaled deeply, then took his first step onto the rope.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Isabelle called after him. "The forecasts predicted winds at roughly thirty miles per hour today!"

Mr. L stopped dead in his tracks, one foot on the rope, as he heard the distinctive rushing of wind kick up as if on cue. He quickly brandished the balancing pole, straightening out.

"Whoa!"

The others watched in mute astonishment as Mr. L started to tilt. But he managed to pick up the balance and place his other foot on the rope carefully. He slowly took another step forward, swaying briefly. Then another step.

"Don't want to lose…don't want to lose…" He continuously muttered to himself with each step.

Before anyone else knew it, he was halfway across.

"That's it, L! Don't stop!" Wendy called after him.

Mr. L didn't acknowledge his girlfriend, but instead simply stared straight forward, continuing to move towards the end.

"My God, he's actually doin' it!" Isabelle exclaimed in shock. "We thought he'd fall after the first step, especially considering how heavy that parachute must be…"

Mr. L's eyes widened, and he paused suddenly. He gulped at the realization that the pack was heavy. Or maybe it only seemed to get heavier…

Mr. L shook it off and continued moving, now three quarters of the way across.

He took several steps more, now finding himself just three steps from the end. Everyone was watching nervously. Mr. L, with a new resolve, did the unthinkable: He dropped the balancing pole and leapt the remaining distance. However, in doing the jump, he took one foot off the rope completely to lean back, so that he would gain more momentum. However, just as his remaining foot started to lift up off the rope, a gust of wind kicked up, and the foot slipped halfway through. Thus, the jump was not nearly as high or long as he hoped it would be, and he was falling before he even began to jump.

Everyone, even Madison, gasped in shock, then horror, when they saw him start to fall past the rope.

"L!" Wendy called in fear.

Mr. L's mind was racing fast, evaluating his situation in less than a millisecond. Looking up, he could see the platform's edge right there, in front of his face. Then, a moment later, it was above him, rising away from him. Only at the last second did he reach up with his right hand and manage to grab onto the edge of the wooden platform. He kicked his legs wildly as he dangled, then swung his other arm up to grab hold as well. He could hear the collected intake of breath from the others behind him. He was holding on with only his palms, but he had a solid determination. He started using his upper-body strength to lift himself up onto the weak, old wooden platform.

To everyone's immediate shock (and relief, for some), Mr. L actually managed to pull himself up onto the platform completely. Almost instantly he leapt to his feet, tore the parachute off his back, and chucked it down into the chasm, where the pack fluttered to the ground below.

"YEAH! Boo-yah! How's that for determination? I just defied death! Take that Isabelle, and your stupid 30 mile-per-hour winds!" Mr. L was jumping up and down eagerly, pumping his fists into the air.

Several of the contestants laughed at this, while Isabelle looked both horrified and angry. "You…you stupid, cocky little brat! You just ruined a good balancing pole and parachute! I told you to take special care of that equipment, dang it! You know what? I'm gonna automatically declare you disqualified from this challenge for that!"

"WHAT? You can't be serious!"

"I can, and I am. I'm the host; so you do whatever I tell you to!" Before the fuming Mr. L could reply, Isabelle spun around to the others, who were mainly staring in disbelief. "I make good on my word, and that little stunt was an outrage! So that point does not count!"

Most of Team Victory II groaned in frustration, but Wendy glanced back at Matthew. One millisecond of a glance at his face at that moment, and Wendy never looked at Mr. L the same way again.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Mr. L** – (everything he says is a long string of bleeps)

 **Wendy** – (looking suspiciously at the sink, which is dented and battered severely) What could've…? Never mind. Yeah, it's L. Something's seriously wrong with him. I mean, I know that what Isabelle did was totally unfair, but Matthew shouldn't care this much about the game. Why is he acting so competitive? I hope that I can clear this up with him soon…I never want to see his face like that ever again.

* * *

"OK, Team Madison; you're up next! Send over one member!"

"I'll do it." Almost instantly, the team's self-elected leader grabbed a parachute, picked up a pole, and advanced towards the rope. The various members of her team didn't know whether to be concerned or hopeful were she to fail.

Madison took a step onto the wavering rope, unfazed by the sudden rush of wind. She was just as determined as Mr. L had been, but now knew what to avoid, and how to not make the same mistakes Mr. L had. She swallowed nervously, then took another step forward. She slowly weighed out the balancing pole when it started to tilt. She lifted one foot up and balanced precariously. She heard a few gasps behind her. She slowly put the foot back down and took two more quick steps.

And then, quick as a wink, it happened. Madison didn't know what happened, whether she got scared, lost her balance, or if it was just the wind. All she remembered was falling to the side, the pole slipping from her hands as she started to tumble.

She could've sworn she could actually hear some cheers above her. But she had to ignore it for now. Grinding her teeth nervously, she reached to her side and felt around the parachute as the wind whistled around her. She eventually managed to find the two ropes, and quickly pulled the left one first, then the right. She could hear the whooshing sound, followed by the sharp tug as she jerked up quickly, then the feeling of resistance as her speed decreased suddenly. She grabbed onto the straps as she floated the rest of the way down.

They all watched when the white parachute finally deployed, and Madison floated down gently to the ground. They could see her hit the ground, followed by the parachute covering her. Squinting hard enough, they could see the enraged girl tear out from under the chute and look back up at them.

Isabelle walked over to the massive antenna at the center of the platform, where there was a small speaker attached to a long wire, similar to a typical radio. The wire ran down beneath the platform, beyond where anyone else could see it.

Isabelle pressed a small black button on the side and spoke into it. "Yo, girl! Can you hear me?"

He released the button, and after a moment, Madison's voice shot back up at them. "You jerks! Now I'm stuck all the way down here! What do I do now? How can I even talk to you right now? Where are you?"

"Listen up! I'm communicating with you through a small radio that's attached to your parachute pack. You probably can't see it, but you can still speak to me through it. This is how I'll communicate with you suckers down there!"

"OK, so what am I supposed to do down here?"

"Just sit tight! We'll send our helicopter down to pick you up and take you up to the platform that you were heading for! Oh, and by the way, you didn't score any points for your team."

"Oh, gee, ya think? I'm pretty sure I had that figured out for myself!"

"I know. I just like reminding you of your failures."

"Why you stupid little-."

Isabelle quickly pressed down on the button on her speaker again, cutting off Madison's rude message.

"OK, so while she's getting picked up, it's time for Team Sahara to send someone over!"

A few seconds passed, and no one said a word. After a moment, however, Iggy buffed out his chest, trying to look manly and tough, and boldly said, "I'll do it!"

He walked over and took the parachute Isabelle handed him. Iggy studied it for a moment, a confused look on his face.

"Wait…so there's actually a radio in here?"

"That's what I said, smart one!"

"So…that's the reason you want us to take such good care of them?"

"Yep."

"And it's why you disqualified L for ruining it?"

"Bingo."

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Mr. L yelled across the chasm. "Now you tell me!"

"Shut up, kid!" Isabelle yelled back. "I'm still mad at you! Just zip it and watch!"

Chef then grabbed the nearest pole and handed it to Iggy, who had just finished putting on the parachute. However, the moment Chef placed the pole in Iggy's hands, he almost instantly buckled under its weight.

"Augh! Gosh, how heavy is this thing?"

"It's not that heavy!" Mr. L yelled across. "I was able to carry it across! Madison was able to carry it across! So you should be just fine!"

But Iggy still wasn't convinced. Several of the others truly knew that it was too much for his weak, skimpy frame. His knees were shaking, and he was already sweating.

"Iggy…you can't do this." Katelyn told him immediately.

"No! I can! It's been one of my dreams to see this fascinating architecture; what better way to really get closer to it than putting your life on a tightrope walk between them?"

"Iggy…that doesn't make much sense."

"I don't care! I'm doing-."

At that moment, Iggy started to take the first step onto the rope. However, he missed the rope completely, as he wasn't even looking where he was going. His deep, raspy scream immediately followed as he tumbled down. As far as the others could tell, he wasn't making any effort to deploy his parachute. And one girl in particular noticed this instantly.

"ISAIAH!" Katelyn screamed down after him. Without even thinking, she jumped after him, much to everyone's shock.

"Wow…now there's an obsessive fangirl." Pauline muttered.

Isabelle actually had a brief bit of concern in her eyes. However, the contestants soon found out why.

"Aw, man! She can't die! She's one of the newbies! Newbies are major drama-bringers, and we've already lost one!"

Down below, Katelyn was dipping down to fly closer to Iggy, who was still panicking and screaming wildly, flailing his arms and legs.

"IGGY! DEPLOY YOUR PARACHUTE!"

"How?"

"Like this!"

Katelyn then reached over and grabbed the two strings one each side of his parachute. She pulled the left one first, then the right. The white chute shot up, jerking them both up briefly. Katelyn grabbed onto Iggy for dear life, since she wasn't attached to the parachute like he was.

"Katelyn, what are you doing? Why did you jump down after me?"

Katelyn, still clinging tightly to Isaiah awkwardly, answered. "I could see that you were too panicked to deploy the parachute. I didn't want to watch you die."

"How did you know that…"

"It says on your online bio that there have been multiple significant instances in your life where you could've solved the problem with the slightest bit of common sense, or the answer was staring right at you, but you were too panicked to think."

"Really? Like what?"

"Well, there was the time that you started a fire in your school's chemistry lab when you were a sophomore, and you happened to be at the desk right next to the fire extinguisher. But you were so scared you didn't know what to do, and you got a burn in the second degree on your right arm."

"Uh…that's…right. How did you…?"

"Like I said, your online bio."

"But…I've seen my online bio; it's not that detailed."

"Oh…well, maybe it was the bio in your own fan club on the Internet, which I happen to be the President and founder of."

"Oh…huh."

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Iggy** – It was cool of Anna to save me like that…but how does she know so much about my personal life? That incident scarred me forever; and there weren't even many people around when it happened, since it happened right in the middle of sick season! It was kept away from all the papers, and everyone else swore they'd never say anything about it! How did she know all of that stuff about me? Oh, God…I hope she's not a…(gulps nervously) Sierra-type.

Katelyn – Yeah, maybe I creeped Isaiah out a little back there. I really should tone it down a notch. It's a good thing I didn't mention the time that his aunt's cat attacked him, and on the counter next to him was a box of fresh cat nip, but he instead simply ran around the house until there were scratches all over his face. Or this one other time where-.

* * *

The two members of Team Sahara finally fluttered down to the ground, landing near where Madison was. The parachute fell on top of them, and they both fumbled around a moment before Iggy tossed it off. Much to his surprise, Katelyn was still clinging to him.

"Uh…Katelyn? You can let go now."

"Huh? Oh! Sorry." She quickly let go of him, and Iggy brushed himself off.

"Enjoy your flight, lovebirds?"

"What? We're not lovebirds! Gosh!"

"Yeah! And besides, you shouldn't be making fun of animals as cute as lovebirds! Have you ever seen one?"

"You think all animals are cute, weirdo."

"For your information-."

The argument was cut short when a massive thumping approached them, kicking up wind and drowning out all other sounds. The three teens, shielding their eyes, turned around as the familiar, red and yellow-striped bubble helicopter slowly touched down. A fairly well-built intern, about five-six, with long blonde hair, blue shorts, and a white, sleeveless shirt, was piloting it.

"Hello, kids!" He yelled over a speaker in the helicopter. "I'm Carl, the intern who's in charge of taking you back up to the top of the tower!"

"Carl, huh? Fine." Madison mumbled quickly.

She climbed into the cockpit next to the friendly intern, who smiled.

"Enjoy the trip down?"

"Bite me."

"No, I wasn't being sarcastic! Really; it's a thrill to parachute down. At least, on this show, if you're not doing it after being eliminated. It's kind of an adrenaline rush."

"Maybe, but it also means I lost the challenge! Just get me out of here!"

"Wait! What about us?" Katelyn called to him.

"Yeah! There's not enough room for all four of us!" Iggy agreed.

"Oh, you can just grab onto the landing struts! And hang on tight!"

"That's encouraging." Iggy muttered.

"Hey, at least we do get a ride back up." Katelyn replied.

"But what if we let go?"

"Just hang onto me! I've got a strong grip!"

Iggy raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to speak, but Katelyn was already sitting on the landing strut, grabbing on tightly. "Come on! You don't want to be left behind, do you? Do you?"

"Ugh. Fine."

Iggy walked over and sat down next to her. His still-sweating palms gripped the metal strut tightly, so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

The helicopter slowly started to lift up, and there was a brief jerking motion that nearly made Isaiah fall over. He felt a hand grip his shoulder and pull him back up.

"Whoa! Uh…thanks, again, Katelyn."

"I told you; hang on tighter!"

"Alright, fine! Gosh!" He squeezed the struts even harder, his fingernails digging into his palms as they were wrapped completely around the metal pole. By now, they were well above the ground, at least by eighty feet. The sleek, shiny, metal and glass facade of the East Tower rising up past them…

* * *

 **''Meanwhile…''**

Isabelle's radio crackled, and he picked it up and pressed the button. "Isabelle here. What is it, Carl? Over."

"I've got the three kids and am heading up. Over."

"Roger that. You know where to drop them off. Over."

"Yes, sir. I do. But one question, sir? Over."

"What might that be? Over."

"Do we have to keep saying 'Over' like this? Over."

"YES! We do! Because I happen to LIKE saying it! And you will too! Over!"

"Copy that, sir. Over and out."

As Isabelle placed the radio back in her pocket, she turned back to the contestants.

"OK, so here's the rundown as of this point: Even though that animal-lover girl didn't even get her turn yet…we're just gonna go ahead and say that her jumping off like that counts as falling off, so neither her nor Napoleon scored any points for Team Sahara. So, as of right now, four people have gone, and no points are on the board yet. Team Victory II, you're up next! Send over another member!"

After a few long moments, Wendy slowly stepped forward. Without a word, she donned the parachute, grabbed the pole, and stood before the long rope.

"That's it, Wendy! You can do this!" Rain called encouragingly.

"Yeah! Go Wendy!" Wario added.

"Don't screw this up, Wendy!" Mr. L yelled over. "I could do it, so you can, too!"

Wendy took a deep breath, then slowly stepped onto the rope. She seemed to do surprisingly well, as her steps were long, quick, swift, and graceful. Once or twice, she started to stumble. But ultimately, she made it across without any long pauses.

"And with that, High-IQ scores the first point! Team Victory II now has one point, while the others have zilch!"

"YES! That's what I'm talking about!" Mr. L cheered. "Nice work, Wendy!"

"Thank you. It was actually pretty exhilarating."

"OK. Team Madison: Your turn again!"

All of the members refused to even say anything. Everyone took a step back…except for a certain cell-phone-a-holic.

"Ah! And Cell Phone Girl steps up to the plate!"

Toadette didn't even move.

"Toadette! Go!" Skyler encouraged.

Toadette barely lifted her head as she walked right over. With one hand still texting, she reached down with the other and picked up a parachute. She put it on, and resumed her texting. She then started walking right down the middle of the rope with no pole.

Everyone gasped incredulously.

"No pole?"

"She's nuts!"

"She's not even looking where she's going!"

"She's dead."

Toadette continued her dull, unfazed walk across the swaying rope. She was just at the point of no return, the dead center of the rope, when the unthinkable happened. The wind kicked up, and the small screen of her phone, with her forming messages on it, froze. Toadette did the exact same, stopping dead in her tracks. The screen shook for a moment, lines of thick static stretching across it. Then, a white box appeared, with two cursed words in it.

"No…service?" She squeaked.

"Toadette! Why'd you stop?"

"What's wrong?"

She repeated the last two words again, in a drastically different tone.

"NO…SERVICE! I've gotta get off this stupid rope!"

And, with that, she let herself lean to one side and fall off the rope. The moment her feet left the rope and she started free-falling, the whit box disappeared, and a smile returned to her face.

"Ah! That's better."

She then resumed texting.

"HEY! PSYCHO GIRL!" Isabelle called down to her. "YOUR PARACHUTE!"

With one hand, she pulled the left string first, then the right. She already had her other hand back on the phone by the time the chute was fully deployed.

As she floated down, eyes never straying from her phone, Isabelle shook her head. "Kids and their toys these days…OK, so Team Madison is down two players with zero points. Team Sahara, you're next! And you better make good with this next one; you've also lost two players."

"Game on." Rosalina said firmly as she walked over.

"Are you sure you can do this, eh? I never pictured you as the physical type." Pauline admitted.

Mary, parachute strapped on and pole in hand, turned to her girlfriend. "Oh, really? Watch and learn."

She then began to walk across the rope. Pauline actually raised an eyebrow at how quickly she was moving, and how agile she seemed. He couldn't help but crack a brief smile.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Pauline** – Man! That girl never ceases to amaze me. That's what I love about her; she's so many different things in one person! She can be an intelligent-talking, perfectionist type one second, and then the world's greatest tightrope-walker the next!

* * *

Pauline, as well as the other various members of Team Sahara, watched in astonishment as Rosalina reached the halfway point in under thirty seconds. However, she started to sway nervously when the wind was kicking up, much more powerfully than before. She barely managed to keep both feet on the rope, to the point where it was swaying wildly.

"You call these winds thirty miles per hour?" She called back to Isabelle.

Just then, the real source of the "wind" arrived: The helicopter, with Madison, Iggy, Katelyn, and Carl all onboard. Its propellers sent strong gusts against Rosalina and the rope.

"No! No! Stop!" Rosalina yelled helplessly, moments before she finally lost her footing.

Pauline watched in fear as her girlfriend fell, then sighed with relief when he saw her parachute deploy. As she fluttered safely down, she leaned over to Blayke.

"I didn't learn anything, eh. Did you?"

"Besides how to fall off a rope? Nope." Blayke replied. Both snickered.

"And with the perfectionist's tumble, Team Sahara still has zero, with three people down, and three to go! Next up is Team Victory II…again. Either friendly girl or chubby has to go."

"Oh! I'll do it! This'll be fun!"

Wario, with all of his enthusiasm, failed to notice the general chorus of snickers and giggles behind him.

"Er…actually, on second thought, I dunno about that, kid. Maybe you should just sit this one out."

"No way! I want to have fun, and prove that I can do this! Just gimme a chute and a pole!"

Isabelle sighed. "Fine. It's your funeral."

Wario strapped on the pack, raised the pole, and then started charging towards the rope.

"COWABUNGA!"

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Pauline** – That Wario isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, eh.

 **Isabel** – Was there any way at all for us to not see what was coming?

 **Rain** – Poor Wario. His enthusiasm just got the better of him.

* * *

Almost instantly, Wario' cry of "Cowabunga" transitioned into a long, hi-pitched scream of pain. He had missed the rope with his first step and fell…only for the rope to be caught between his legs.

Everyone behind him cringed as he continued to scream in pain, which eventually turned to moaning as he slowly bent over.

"The pain…the pain…"

"Hm. He didn't break the rope! Isn't that a mirac-."

Just then, there was a loud snapping sound, and the rope gave way. James immediately plummeted straight to earth, barely managing to reach up with one hand to pull both strings, one after the other, and deploy his parachute. Wario was still groaning in pain and clutching where it hurt when he landed.

"O…K…that looked like it really hurt." Isabelle stated. Most of the contestants could only nod, still staring down incredulously.

"Well, uh, we've gotta fix the rope right now…so just talk amongst yourselves until we get this whole thing sorted out. And just a rundown: The score is now one to zero to zero, Team Victory II's favor. Team Victory II is down to only one person, while Team Madison is down to four people, and Team Sahara has three people left." Isabelle then turned to the cameraman. "Will someone else actually be able to score another point, or will they all fail miserably and take the tumble? Which team will win this challenge, and which teams won't? Find out right after this!"

After a moment, the cameraman lifted up his head. "And…we're good."

"Good! Now get on the horn with Carl!" She tossed the radio to the cameraman. "And tell him that he needs to get his little birdie up here so that someone can properly fix the rope! Tell him to pick up the other kids first."

Several of the girls started conversing almost instantly, forming their own little tight huddle.

"There's no way in the name of fashion that I can do this! My heels won't get a good grip! And what if one falls off? These cost, like, three hundred dollars!" Isabel complained again.

"Where'd you get them?" Skyler asked, looking down at the fancy shoes in fascination.

"They were a birthday present from my mom. I never asked where she got them, because I don't care. I consider them to be my seventeenth finest pair, after the other sixteen: Three that are fine brown leather with studded diamonds, two that are a ruby red, one that's fine Lochladies silk…"

"Oh! Lochladies silk is so cool! I have a blanket made of that, and it's so comfy!"

"I have curtains, towels, and two pairs of socks made out of it!"

"I wonder what the difference is between Lochladies silk and regular silk, anyway?"

"Well, duh! It's from the Lake Kingdom!"

"So…why don't we just call our own silk American silk?"

Logan, off to the side, groaned. Even though he didn't have to be near them, he couldn't escape their loud, high-pitched, excited voices and nonstop chatter; the platform was too small, and their conversation easily dominated over all others. Logan walked over to the antenna and started banging his head repeatedly against the metal.

Meanwhile, a certain redhead was off to the side. He happened to notice Logan's dismay over the girls' nonstop, irrelevant, and annoying chatter.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Logan** – So, they go from talking about hi-heels…to talking about different names of silk. And I'm stuck with this, for an entire season. I'm going to go nuts! I seriously…cannot stand this! Just the very thought of it…it…ARGH! (starts banging his head against the sink repeatedly)

 **Wendy** – (staring at the sink and scratching her head) Is it just me…or is this thing even more banged-up than it was before?

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out; Logan is the only guy on that team, and he can't stand the girls that he's with. Similarly, I can't stand the team I'm with due to hardly any of the members being worthy, or willing, of an alliance. So, of course, I was willing to lend a hand in a way that would benefit both of us.

* * *

As Logan was banging his head, Blayke silently strode up to him. Logan wasn't even aware of the redhead's presence until he heard the clearing of a throat.

The Drama King stopped the head-banging and looked up.

"What do you want? Can't you see I'm kind of busy right now?"

"I couldn't help but notice your…ah, predicament. I'm willing to help you out."

"Ha! The only way you can help me out at this point is if you either throw me off this building, or…"

"Offered to switch teams?"

Logan perked up instantly. "You…seriously would?"

"Yes. I have much more patience with annoying girls. After all, I have three younger sisters."

"Wow! That would be awesome of you, dude!" Logan exclaimed eagerly.

"No problem. Now, we just need to get Isabelle over here…"

Both boys suddenly gasped in shock when the host was already there, towering over them.

"I couldn't help but overhearing your little chat. What's all this about swapping teams? I don't usually allow something this irregular."

"No! Please, man! I'm begging you! I have to get off this team!" Logan pleaded.

"And why should I be nice to you?"

Almost instantly, Blayke took a firm hold of Isabelle's arm and dragged off to the side, away from everyone else. With unbelievable strength, he yanked Isabelle's huge head down to his own, and leaned in so that his mouth was next to Isabelle's ear in an instant.

"Listen closely, Major Pain. You've heard my Confessionals; you know what I'm up to. I told you that I could bring serious ratings to this show. If you know what's good for you, and the show, you'll allow this swap. Trust me; me mixed in with those girls will make for some big drama. More than you can imagine. It will draw in ratings like a magnet. So just let me and Louis switch, or else you'll regret it."

He released Isabelle, who stood back up. Ordinarily, the dog would've been enraged at being treated like such, but she took Blayke's words into consideration. He tapped his chin in thought for a moment, reflecting on all the promises that Blayke had made in the Confessional since the season began…

"OK, deal! You two can switch!"

"SERIOUSLY? YES! THANK YOU!" Logan cheered enthusiastically, jumping up and down like a giddy school boy. He turned towards Team Sahara almost instantly, and greeted them with open arms (literally).

"Hello, my new team!"

"And hello, Team Madison." Blayke said with a confident smile as he approached them.

Meanwhile, across the chasm, everyone else (at that point, consisting of Mr. L, Wendy, Wario, Toadette, Madison, Rosalina, Katelyn, and Iggy) could also hear the exchange, mainly due to Logan's loud and enthusiastic cheers. And a certain someone was not pleased with the swap.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Madison** – Rats. I cannot believe that Isabelle actually allowed this! I didn't mind having that Logan on my team, but this guy? There's something about him…I'm sure most of us still have his arrival well in mind. I have a feeling that he's up to something. And in this game, you always trust your gut.

 **Logan** – YES! The miracle that I was praying for all this time! The universe ISN'T out to get me! YES! Thank you, Blayke!

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – Is this a good team? Pfft. No. But, is it a potential strong, post-merge alliance? Yes. And besides; I'm confident that many challenges this season won't involve completely physical challenges, like today's. And if it is a challenge that mainly focuses on determination, mental strength, or psyche, then I'll be sure to motivate this team enough to win it, or at least avoid having to send someone home. That's the advantage to there being three different possible outcomes for a team in each challenge this season. You either win it, lose it, or lose it and have to boot someone. Overall, it's a fairly clever strategy, but one that balances on a lot of "ifs." Still, I'm confident in succeeding. Nothing will stop me.

* * *

"And we're on in four…three…two…!" The cameraman silently pointed at Isabelle, the sign that they were rolling.

"And welcome back to Total Drama Mario World Tour! We've finally managed to get the rope fixed, and we're ready to pick up where we left off! But first, I need to inform you all of something very important: During the commercial break, I decided to allow two of these punks to switch teams! That's right, being the kind and courteous gentleman I am, I agreed to let Logan move over to Team Sahara, and Blayke to Team Madison! So…yeah. Nothing really different for either team; still just another guy on each team, and it won't affect their status in the challenge…yet. So it's Team Madison's turn, once again!"

Chef turned to the team, now consisting of only Isabel, Skyler, Susan, and Blayke.

"Send someone up!"

"I'll do it." Skyler said, with a look of firm determination on her face.

"Oh, boy." Blayke mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Skyler walked up, oblivious to the snickers and chuckles behind her as she took her parachute and pole. The moment she walked off, Isabelle burst into a laughing fit.

"Oh, man! This is gonna be just as good as when Fat Boy did it!"

Skyler raised the pole and took a step…

…only to miss the rope.

The same basic routine: She fell and screamed for a short while before she deployed her parachute. As she started to fall, she could only do one thing: Curse herself for doing it again all while free-falling for several hundred feet.

"NO! DARN IT DARN IT DARN IT DARN IT DARN IT!"

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Skyler** – (Nearly sobbing) I can't stand it! I want to prove to people that I'm not a klutz! Everyone remembers me as "Clumsy Girl," or "Klutzy," or "Miss Three Left Feet" on this show! I'm sick of it! Oh, I wish there was a way I could redeem myself!

* * *

"And with the Klutz's fall, Team Madison is down to three! Team Sahara is up next!"

Without a single word, Pauline stepped forward, snatched a parachute, put it on, and walked up to the rope.

"Wait up, kid! You forgot your pole!" Isabelle said to her, holding out one of the balancing poles.

Pauline simply turned and looked back with a grin. "Watch me, eh."

And with that, Pauline did the same thing that Toadette did: She walked right out onto the rope, no balancing pole save for her own two arms.

Once again, there was a rise of gasps behind her.

"She's dead."

Across the way, all of those who had either made it across or failed watch with incredulous looks, even Madison and L had to raise their eyebrows. Rosalina watched with a fearful look, eyes wide. She was nearly to the point where she was about to start biting her fingernails.

But Pauline remained completely nonchalant and casual as she walked across, her movements swift, synchronized, and perfect. Whenever the rope swayed, she swayed with it. She slowed down when the winds really kicked up, then picked up the pace once they died down. She maintained her dull look, eyes straight ahead and locked on the end.

Then, before anyone else knew it, she was at the end. She nonchalantly removed the parachute and dropped it at his feet.

After a moment of pause for it to sink in, there was a burst of cheers from both sides, even from rival teams, in congratulations to his incredible feat. Rosalina immediately ran up to her and hugged her.

"Pauline! That was amazing! No pole or anything! That was just…incredible!"

"I'll say!" Iggy agreed. "That was awesome! That was reminiscent of the great French tightrope-walker Philippe Petit!"

"It was nothing, eh. Really."

"And, for once, a point has finally been scored again!" Isabelle declared. "Team Sahara is now on the board, and tied with Team Victory II for the lead, with one each! Team Madison is still in the dust with zero!"

This earned more cheers from the two tied teams, and glares from the members of the losing team.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Logan** – (Wiping sweat off his brow) Phew! Did you see that? MAN, am I glad that I made that switch! Not only with the multiple failures on my old team, but now someone actually scores a point for this team? As incredibly as Pauline did! This was the best choice ever! Hello, first-class!

* * *

"OK, so Team Sahara still has two members left! Team Madison has only three. So, Team Victory II…or should I say, the only remaining member of Team Victory II? You're up!"

Rain swallowed nervously and closed her eyes.

Remember what Tanooki said…I can do this. I can do this…

She slowly approached Isabelle and grabbed a parachute, followed by the balancing pole. She approached the rope.

All the members of Team Victory II across the way watched nervously as she paused, closing her eyes, sighing, saying a quick, final prayer in her mind. She slowly opened her eyes and took a step. She gasped as she seemed to hang in midair for a second…then realized that she had stepped onto the rope. One foot was ahead of the other, and she was holding the balancing pole just right.

Not daring to look down, she took another step forward, then another. Before she knew what she was doing, she was going at a remarkable, considerably fast pace. Even Pauline raised a stunned eyebrow at the sight.

And then she was on the other side.

There was a long pause before the eruption of applause.

"And with that, all members of Team Victory II have crossed, with half of them actually making it! Their final score is 2!"

"Rain, that was amazing!" Wendy congratulated her friend.

"Thanks…I don't know what happened." She replied, clearly amazed at herself and still maintaining a calm demeanor. "I just got out there and…did it."

"Well, you just keep 'doing it' like you did, and we'll win!" Mr. L said, albeit curtly, but encouragingly nonetheless.

"Time for Team Madison! Who's up?"

"I'll do it!" Susan said.

She ran up and snatched one of the poles and parachutes. She held the pole in one hand, dragging it along the wooden platform, and the parachute in the other, holding it by one of its straps.

"Wait…how do I put this parachute on again?"

"Like a backpack." Blayke said to her, rolling his eyes.

"Ugh. I hate school."

Then, before she knew it, she was falling; as she had been walking along while talking, looking at the parachute in confusion, without even looking where she was going.

Blayke simply facepalmed as she fell, screaming, before the parachute deployed.

"O…K…" The stunned Isabelle slowly stuttered. "I…guess that counts. Team Sahara…you're next."

"I'll go…if you don't mind?" Logan said to Mona. "If you want to go first, it's…"

"No, no. Please do."

"Alright."

Longag casually approached Isabelle, donned the parachute, and accepted the pole.

"Don't worry; I had to do something similar for a play I was in."

"Except that was probably no more than ten feet off the ground!" Isabel shot back. "This is over 1,000 feet, you idiot!"

"All in good time. It's just a matter of balance and precision. In fact, the very thought of losing your balance is in the mind. You just distribute your weight evenly, and before you know it, you're…"

And then, he was on the other side.

"…across." He gave the remaining three a sly smile, having crossed the long rope while finishing that conversation, and not even faltering in his balance or speed.

"Whoa." Mona murmured.

"The score is tied once again! Team Sahara and Team Victory II both have two points, and the former still has one member to go. Team Madison, or should I call ya, Team Failure, you'd better pick up the pace and send someone up! If one more person fails, you automatically lose this first challenge. So, who's it gonna be?"

"I nominate Isabel." Blayke said nonchalantly.

"What? No!" She cried back in protest. "I nominate Blayke!"

"One of you's gotta go. And when you gotta go, you gotta-."

"OK, shut up." Blayke hissed. He then turned to the prom queen, grabbed a handful of her hundreds of earrings, and yanked her close.

"Ow!"

"Shut up and listen to me. You said you want to redeem your poor performance last time, right?"

"Right, I guess. Quit pulling on me!"

"Shut up and keep it down. Now, you want to last farther, right?"

"Duh!"

"So, if you want to do that, you'll have to prove yourself a worthy teammate. To do that, you must do…this…challenge. Capiche?"

"I…I guess so."

"Good." He then released her earrings. "Now get up there and show them who's boss!" He yelled in an encouraging, enthusiastic voice. "You can do this, Isabel!"

She glared back at him as she approached the rope, taking the balancing pole and parachute.

"I told you, I can't do this in my hi-heels!"

"Then take 'em off, girl!" Isabelle muttered, clearly as annoyed as everyone else there.

She hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached down and removed one boot, then the other. Tossing the overpriced brown boots aside, she approached the rope in her bare feet.

"You don't even wear socks?" Logan asked in slight disbelief.

"Well duh! Socks are so lame and overrated."

And with that, she took the first step onto the rope. She swayed briefly, but maintained her footing, whimpering and nearly sobbing before she even began. When the other foot left the safety of the platform and touched down on the rope, all of her weight rested on that rope.

And that was not comfortable for her bare feet.

"Oh…ow! Ow, ow! Augh! This thing's digging into my feet!"

"Just ignore the pain and focus on the game! You can do this!"

"Oh…"

She lifted one foot and took another step, with the platform still at an arm's length away.

"Ow…OW!" She cried with a fourth step, as she accidentally shifted all of her weight onto that foot, and dug it into the rope.

"AUGH! I can't do this anymore!" She then tossed the pole into the air and started to pivot on her left foot, thus scraping its sole hard against the rope, which resulted in a…

"BURN!" Isabel screamed as she jumped back towards the platform. However, at the moment she pressed off of the rope, the balancing pole came back down and impacted right on her head, thus cutting off her jump. She practically fell straight down, with only one hand managing to grab onto the edge. But even then, such a loose grip (with only three fingers and the top half of her palm) didn't hold well, and her hand slipped right off.

As she plummeted, her scream was cut off by the deployment of her parachute. She jerked once, then started to fall slowly. And the first thing she did after saving her own life…

"What? A plain old white parachute? Couldn't you afford a polyester-cotton pink parachute like my cousin has?"

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Isabel:** (holding both feet up on the seat with her and rocking back and forth in pain like a baby) Never…physical…challenges…again.

* * *

"And that settles it for Team Madison! Even if your final member, Blayke, were to cross now, there'd be no way you could win. It's now down to Team Sahara and Team Victory II. The fate of this tie rests with one person."

"After you, Mona." Blayke said with a sly smile.

ButMonan was anything but willing to go. "Oh, I don't know…"

"I'm sure you'll do fine. At least better than Toadette, Skyler, Wario, Susan, and Isabel did."

"But…I…"

"Your online profile says you're a cheerleader; thus, you must have some athletic abilities, correct?"

"Well…yes…"

* * *

'''Lavatory Confessional'''

 **Mona** : OK, so when I was a freshman, I tried out for the gymnastics team. I failed the qualification test. I was devastated; it had been my dream as a little girl to be a gymnast in high school. So, for the rest of the year and the next year, I practiced twice a day, with my own courses and routines set up, ready to try again. But, in the meantime, I was at least able to become a cheerleader, which still involved some athletic abilities and was a way of perfecting my gymnastic skills. Before I could try again, I auditioned for this show. Let's hope all that practice pays off. Heh, heh…(gulp).

* * *

Mona, with the parachute on, slowly approached the rope. Isabelle held out one of the poles.

She didn't take it.

For a few long moments, she simply stood there, staring at the long, impossible rope before her. Isabelle grew impatient.

"Anytime, girl! You gonna take your pole, or not?"

Mona then slowly turned her back on the rope, and those across the chasm. She was facing the only person left: Ethan.

She sighed, took a deep breath, slowly exhaled it, then closed her eyes.

Several more moments.

Then she leapt into the air backwards, flipping around and landing on her hands just at the edge of the platform, before the rope. She took a millisecond to orient herself and where the rope was before shoving off into the air again. She flipped again and landed on her feet, both side-by-side, perfectly on the rope. She didn't hesitate to continue leaping up, flipping, landing on her hands, then jumping again, landing on her feet even further ahead on the rope, and so on.

By the time she finished her incredible routine, and landed on the other side, perfectly flat on her feet, all jaws had slammed to the floor.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Wendy:** (Wide-eyed and jaw dropped)

 **Rosalina:** (Wide-eyed and jaw dropped)

 **Chef Isabelle:** (Wide-eyed and jaw dropped)

 **Pauline** : (Wide-eyed and jaw dropped)

 **Iggy** : (Wide-eyed and jaw dropped)

 **Toadette** : (Still texting)

* * *

"Oh…my…God."

Then the rupture of applause from all sides, even from rival teammates. If Mona even heard any of it, she didn't acknowledge it. She just stood there, her head down and breathing heavily, as if she was still at the starting line and nervous to begin. After a few moments, she looked up at the crowd congratulating her, and a smile slowly formed on her face.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Mona** : I guess all those years of practice did pay off, even though I didn't get on the team.

 **Logan** : Wow. Did you see that? I mean, seriously! That was one of the greatest physical feats I've ever seen! Risking life and limb by doing a bunch of backflips on a rope, over a thousand feet in the air with no balancing pole? I mean, yeah, she had a parachute on…but still! That girl is nuts. In the good way.

* * *

"Team Sahara wins the first challenge!"

The six members of Team Sahara all loudly cheered their team's name and joined together in a six-way hi-five.

"They have won the advantage for the second half of the challenge. Whichever team loses this time will be sending someone home." Isabelle then turned to the camera. "Which team will win this time? Which will semi-lose? And which team will have to boot one of their own? Find out next time, on…Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"


	5. Sunset Brawls Part 2

Following the wrap-up of the first challenge, the contestants had all gathered on the platform on top of the East Tower. Some were still hurting from the previous challenge. Especially Wario, who was still clutching his aching groin.

"The pain…I'm never tightrope-walking again…owie."

"Really, my friend, you should be more grateful that you're even alive. After all, you did break the rope." Blayke commented.

"You shouldn't be talking, redhead." Madison growled. "You were the only one who didn't even do the freaking walk!"

"It's not that I didn't do it, it's that there was no point in me doing it. After Isabel fell, we had already lost."

"Still…" Madison started, then slowly quieted down when she realized it was a losing battle.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Madison** – That guy thinks he can fool me, but he can't! He weaseled his way out of doing that challenge, and I know it!

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – Could I have won the challenge if I had to do it? Yes. Definitely. I am more skilled than one such as Madison may think. But I knew that there was no way that Isabel could do it. So, I spared myself from having to make the meaningless effort with the old "ladies first" trick.

* * *

"Alright, worms! Enough complainin'! Now here's the deal: Your second task for today is parasailing! One famous recreational activity that draws many people to these towers is leaping off the top of 'em, deploying some parachute thing, and trying to reach a marked area on the ground, without splattin'."

"Parasailing." Logan summarized in one word.

"Exactly. Your task will be similar to that. Each of you must jump, one by one, off this platform, and deploy your parasail. You will have to steer, jerk, and twist this way and that to try to land in the target area."

Isabelle gestured down to the ground below them. On the massive plaza below, there was an orange circle with a diameter of about 100 feet, with a barely-visible red dot in the middle, which was no more than 10 feet across.

"That's your objective. The closer you are to the bull's eye, the more likely your team is to win. The team whose member is closest to the center by the time everyone's jumped will win Invincibility from tonight's vote. That leaves the other two teams. Whichever one of those teams whose member is the second-closest to the bull's eye will get second place: You don't win first-class, but you don't have to boot someone. And then, of course, ya'll know what that'll mean for the team that comes in dead last."

Isabelle chuckled wickedly, which sent nervous glances around among the cast.

"No way am I doing that!" Iggy instantly exclaimed. "I enjoy being here, I really do. Tightrope-walking is one thing, but jumping off this majestic piece of architecture is something else! Don't you know what happened to Pierre Pascal?"

"Who?" Mona asked.

"A famous French base-jumper who attempted to do what we're doing now for a similar competition. He jumped off, and a sudden gust of wind caught him during his descent and slammed him into the face of the tower, like WHAM!"

Iggy capitalized on the sound effect in his last word with a swipe of his fist through the air.

"Upon impacting into the facade of this grand building, the lines of his parachute were tangled up, resulting in the parachute itself becoming a big mess of a bundle. And, of course, when the parachute is all bunched up, it no longer slows your descent, and simply becomes more dead weight."

He dramatically let the implication sink in before he added the finishing sentence.

"So, needless to say, he plummeted straight to the ground, and…"

"Yikes." Mona said with genuine fear in her eyes.

"I know. And it's true."

"Well, I don't care about no fancy-pants Frenchie base-jumper years ago! I care that you kids do this challenge NOW, and don't chicken out because some mime couldn't do it!" Isabelle declared.

Isabelle paused a moment to enjoy the fruits of her effort: The contestants all cowering at her outburst.

With a grin, he continued. "Now, for winning the first challenge, Team Sahara wins the special advantage. Wherever each of your members may land, you automatically get 30 feet cut off of your overall distance from the center of the bull's eye. That should really help you if you're, like, 40 feet off or something."

"But what if one of them lands only 20 feet away or something like that?" Madison asked with concern.

"Well, in that case, we simply halve that distance. We don't want them to win by landing less than 30 feet away. Again; whoever hits the bull's eye, and I don't mean within the 30 feet in the middle, I mean the center! The smack-dab middle of the whole thing! Whoever lands there instantly wins the challenge for their team, regardless of how many people are left."

"Alright, fine!" Mr. L said quickly. "Now let's just get on with this already! We wasted enough time with each and every person doing the tightrope walk!"

"True that, whiner, true that." Isabelle agreed. "And you are right; we're taking up too much time for one half-hour show. So we've decided to, as always, add a twist!"

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Wendy** – On this show, hearing that word "twist," you instantly get a chill up your spine.

 **Mona** – "Twist" has "death" written all over it.

 **Iggy** – With this show, saying "twist" is another way of saying…

 **Mona** – Or maybe it's "lethal."

 **Iggy** – "Maim."

 **Mona** – Or "Emergency Room."

 **Iggy** – Or "life insurance."

* * *

"The twist is this: All of those who actually made it across the tightrope do not get to participate in the base-jumping challenge!"

"What?" Pauline exclaimed.

"That's not fair!" Wendy agreed.

"Hey, life ain't fair sometimes! And you know what I do when life ain't fair?"

He paused, daring someone to respond.

"I SUCK IT UP AND DEAL WITH IT!"

After most of the contestants recovered, got back to their feet, or removed their hands from their ears, he continued. "So, IQ Girl, Crybaby Girl, Goth Boy, Silent Girl, Romeo, and Whiner don't get do it."

"Fine. As long as I get to do it; I'll crush the competition!" Mr. L exclaimed.

"Who do you think 'Whiner' is, smart one?"

"What? But I didn't score the point! You specifically altered the rules and declared my crossing invalid just because I dropped your stupid pole!"

"I didn't say all those who scored the point; I said all those who crossed it. Period."

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Mr. L** – (Tearing around the inside of the Confessional, bashing his fists into the walls, the toilet seat, the sink, and everything he says is bleeped)

* * *

Matthew gritted his teeth hard, face turning red, fists balled so hard his knuckles were white like a polar bear in a blizzard. Isabelle ignored this and continued.

"So, besides those six, the other ten of you are candidates to win this task for your team. So get to it! This time, however, the order in which each team goes will be decided based on how many members of each team are eligible to go. In this case, Team Madison has the most, with every player on their team able to do the challenge. So they'll go first. Send someone up!"

"Let me do it." Madison immediately stepped forward before anyone could object. She took one of the parasails from Isabelle and put it on. She looked down at the target area, pausing for a brief moment as she realized how great of a fall it was, and this time, she had to jump off.

Then, before she knew what she was doing, she had stepped off and was falling.

Madison regained her confidence as she was freely falling, the air whooshing past her. She quickly deployed her parasail when she neared the halfway mark of the tower. It shot out and extended to its full length, rippling in the wind as it did so. She kept her eyes locked on the target area below her, angling it to steer her more towards the center. She approached the ground ever so slowly.

"Come on…come on. Give me the victory!"

Just then, she could feel the parasail give in to the gust of wind that slammed her just then. It yanked her up a few feet and sent her spiraling to one side.

"What? No, no! Stop!"

She tried regaining control, but to no avail. The wind was sending her dancing around like a puppet.

Back on the platform, Isabelle chuckled in amusement. "Thank Mother Nature for keeping those winds consistent!"

Madison continued failing to regain control, and before she knew it, she had hit the ground, skidding along for a bit before she collapsed, the parasail crumbling to the ground in front of her.

She slowly started to stand, but before she could do anything further, she felt someone rush up to her. Carl, the intern who had piloted the helicopter. She noticed that he was holding six flags under his arm, each one on a small, one-foot tall pole, and the flags themselves were pink. Each one had the name of one of their team members written on it.

"Stop! Don't move!"

"Ugh. What is it?"

"I need to record your spot, your distance from the bull's eye."

And, with that, he took the flag with Madison's name on it and shoved it into the rubber that the target area was made of. He then pulled out a retractable, mechanical ruler and measured it. Madison looked down at the flag, then at the incredibly long line of measuring tape.

Then, after reaching the dead center of the bull's eye, Carl did a quick mental calculation, his lips moving as he spoke silently to himself. He then whipped out the walkie-talkie and said quickly into it, "Forty-two feet! Repeat, forty-two feet and seven inches from the bull's eye!"

The voice of Chef Isabelle crackled back, "Alright, got the first score. And what a terrible score it is, too! That girl sucks."

"Hey!" Madison yelled.

Back at the platform, Isabelle switched off the walkie-talkie and quickly jotted the score down on a chalkboard that had been placed on the antenna of the East Tower. There were three vertical columns on it, one reading "Team Madison," one saying "Team Sahara" and the third saying "Team Victory II." In each column were the names of every single member of the respective teams. Next to Madison's name under the Team Madison column, Chef wrote "42 ft."

"Alright, who's next?"

After a few moments of silence, Skyler approached.

"Oh, boy." Chef muttered as she handed her the parasail.

She approached nervously, at first reluctant to do the challenge. As she accepted the parasail and started to put it on, she glanced back at the others, checking to see if anyone was watching her.

Toadette was still texting. Rosalina and Katelyn were talking, as were Logan and Mona, Rain and Wendy, Iggy and Pauline, and Mr. L and Wario. Blayke was sitting down, a hand on his chin, contemplating something. Isabel was doing her nails. Susan was staring ahead blankly, not really focused on what was going on. She knew that they were simply ignoring her because they knew what the outcome would be. They knew that she was just the klutz who could never do any-.

Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted when a tremendous force slammed into her backside, sending her flying off the edge. She didn't even realize until much later that Chef Isabelle kicked her off due to his growing impatience. By the time she realized this, she was already too close to the ground for comfort. She quickly fumbled with the pack, pulling the strings to deploy. The parasail burst from the pack and extended, moments before she reached the ground. Her fall was halted, and she scraped against the ground fairly roughly, but not nearly as hard as it would've been had she been just two seconds short.

By the time she stood up again and regained her senses, she realized one horrible thing: She wasn't even on the target area. She had fallen straight down so long, that by the time she deployed her parasail, she was still barely alongside the tower and quite far from the target zone further ahead.

Needless to say, when Carl approached her, he took one look at where she was standing, and didn't even both measuring it, but simply placed a flag where Skyler stood, then radioed up to Isabelle.

Isabelle didn't need to be told, and didn't hold back his laughing fit.

"Ahha-ha-ha-ha! That girl didn't even reach the target area! What a miserable failure! Oh, yeah… OK, so, hopefully, your other members will do better! Who's next up?"

Toadette stepped forward, never deviating from her cell phone for even an instant. She took the pack, put it on, and dully walked right off the platform. She was even texting as she free-fell for several seconds. Then, after sending her message, she used one hand to pull the string and deploy the parasail. She then resumed texting.

Everyone could only watch in shock and disbelief as she basically just hung there, texting away, and letting the wind carry her wherever it so pleased.

"Humph. That stupid girl." Isabelle muttered. "She's just gonna blow right over-."

Just then, she landed.

In the target area. Not too far from the bull's eye.

"Well, I'll be! She ain't that far!"

Down below, Carl immediately placed a flag where she was (not hard to do, considering that she was too preoccupied to move anyway), then measured the distance.

With wide eyes, Carl quickly yanked out the radio and reported, "Twenty-one feet!"

"Twenty-one feet?" Isabelle repeated. "Well I'll be! Not bad for a cell phone-obsessed girl. Next!"

"No way am I doing that!" Isabel immediately whined. "It's bad enough that I have to actually jump off, but the landing could break my high-heels!"

"Oh, good! A volunteer!" Isabelle declared.

"What? NO!"

Suddenly, she felt a tug on her long, dangly earring that yanked her head back.

"Ow!"

"Listen up, Lindsay Lohan. You may not want to do this challenge. You may not want to risk breaking your high-heels. You don't want to break a nail, or lose a ring, or scratch your earring. I know your kind, so don't begin to say 'But.' But you do want to win, right? You said yourself that you want to prove that you can win this time, right?"

"…Well, yeah…"

"Well, you're not gonna prove anything to anyone unless you get your little butt into the game and actually try to win. Not everything is going to be handed to you on a silver platter. You're not at home anymore, alright?"

"…Al…alright."

"So do it." She then released her earring and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "If you please."

With a glance back at the redhead boy who had just given her the pep talk of her life, she slowly turned back towards Isabelle and started to approach her, removing the parasail from her stiff, unmoving hand as her, and everyone else on the platform, stared at Blayke with a look of shock and disbelief.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Wendy** – Well, I guess my respect for the new boy just went up several notches.

 **Iggy** – Man! Did you see that? Did you hear that? That guy Blayke was incredible! It's time someone finally told her off!

 **Mr. L** – As angry as I am right now, I have to admit; that was absolutely hilarious!

* * *

Isabel put on the parasail and, without another word, leapt off the platform. Once her feet left the solid platform, however, she once again did what she was best at: Using her high-pitched vocal chords. Her scream rang loudly all the way down, even somewhat after she pulled the chords and deployed the parasail, heading down and whirling around once to land approximately 32 feet from the bull's eye.

After that, it was down to only two members of Team Madison: Susan and Blayke.

"Alright, who's next?"

"After you, Susan." Blayke said politely, along with a gesture.

"Sure, Edward. But, uh, how do I do this again?"

"Oh…it's easy." With a sinister grin, Blayke slowly escorted her over to the edge and took a pack from Isabelle. "See, all you have to do is put this on like this…"

He started to apply the pack as a demonstration.

"And then, you-WAUGH!"

Before he could continue, a large boot connected with his backside and sent him tumbling over the edge. Soon, a particular host was on the floor laughing.

"Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-HA! Man, that never gets old!"

When met with glares and shocked expressions, he immediately went on the defensive.

"Hey, no one ever said who was officially the next one up, eh? He just put on the pack and stood right at the edge, so that was good enough for me."

Blayke, caught off-guard, continued tumbling down alongside the face of the building, trying to get his bearing back. He finished slipping one arm through the other strap of the pack, securing it firmly to his body. He then reached behind him and pulled the chords. The parasail shot out, fluttering in the wind, and sent him on an angled descent…

…slamming right into the face of the building.

All of the others up on the platform, even Isabelle, cringed at the impact far below.

"See! See, I knew it would happen!" Iggy exclaimed. "Just like Pierre Pascal! I knew it would happen to somebody!"

The crumpled parasail started tumbling down with Blayke, who rolled around and tried to fix the lines as he fell freely through the air.

"Come on! No, twist! Argh!" He jerked and yanked, spinning some around and tangling some up even more.

Then, just ten feet from the ground, he managed to fix it. The last of the lines untangled, and the parasail ballooned up to its full extent just in time. He glided for a second before he skidded along the ground, stopping inches from the border of the target area.

When Carl radioed up the report, Isabelle had to gather all of his self-control to avoid another uncontrollable laughing fit. "Not even in the ring. Another automatic disqualification from the challenge. That leaves only you, girl."

After a few moments of silence, Susan looked around her, then pointed a finger at herself. "Me?"

"No, Marilyn Monroe. Yes, you!"

"Oh, Marilyn Monroe! Cool!"

"Just get up here, take a parasail, and go."

Susan approached, scratching her head as she tried hard to remember what it was that Blayke had tried to tell her.

"OK, so I put it on like this…"

She started to slip it on.

"Then, I…I what?"

She turned around to ask the others this question, and, in doing so, had her back to the edge. At that moment, another powerful gust kicked up. It was enough to knock the relatively light girl right off the edge.

"What the…noooooo!"

As she tumbled through the air, she slowly turned around to put her back to the building rising up past her. As she fell, she felt around frantically for the chords on each side of the pack. Finally finding them, she said aloud, "Wait…what do I do with thes-."

At that moment, she pulled them out to get a better view of them, and deployed the parasail.

After a shudder and a brief scare, she found herself in control of the parasail. She turned it once, aiming more towards the bull's eye, before she landed.

Carl ran up with the measuring tape and flag.

"She hit at 52 feet away, sir. Over." Carl reported as he placed the Susan flag into the ground.

"Hey, Cam? Can you at least help get this big parachute off me and get these lines untangled?"

"Sorry, girl." Carl replied with a smile. "My job here is to record the distances, report them to Isabelle, and put the flags in place. Besides, you're a smart girl. I'm sure you can figure it out."

And with that, he walked off.

"So, with the closest record of 21 feet, courtesy of Cell Phone Girl, Team Madison is currently in the lead. Team Sahara, you're up! And remember, ya'll have an advantage this time: Half distance of whatever you get. So, who's up?"

"Advantage or not, there's no way that I'm doing that!" Isaiah declared.

"Why not, Iggy?" Anna asked worriedly.

"Because, as I said happened to Pierre Pascal, and as we all just saw happen to Blayke, there's no way that I'm doing this!"

"Aw, come on." Rosalina encouraged. "You're one of the only ones that can even do it for this team! You've got to try, and try hard!"

''Ding-ding!''

"What?" Pauline asked, stunned. "But we already did a musical number!"

"I know, but this here is a musical reprise. Same tune, different lyrics. And this is to insure that everyone who didn't sing in the first one does sing this time. 'Cause ya'll remember what happens to those who don't sing."

Isabelle's grin and chuckle served as a grim reminder of that fact.

"Ah, they forgot that rule completely last time." Mr. L reminded them all, particularly Isabelle. "Why should we have to worry this time?"

"Because, unlike my predecessor, I have a long memory. A long memory. Now, besides all of the boys, Perfectionist, and Prom Queen down there, everybody else has to sing this time! Now let's cut the talk and get to the music!"

* * *

 **''Musical Reprise** – **Try Hard''**

 **''Rosalina:** Remember when we first started today's task?''

''Blayke asked why he bothered to ask''

''Even though the answer was obvious''

''That Isabelle would drop us!''

''And after we all fell through the air''

''And when you found out just exactly where''

''We had landed, you were so joyous''

''So now don't make a fuss!''

''And you were so excited to be here''

''So now don't go weakling on us, dear''

''Because now that we are all here now''

''You're doing this task!''

''You've gotta try!''

 **''Wendy, Rain, Mona, Madison, Susan, Skyler, Toadette:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

 **''All:** Try hard!''

 **''Rosalina:** You've gotta try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

 **''All:** Try hard!''

 **''Rosalina:** You've gotta try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

 **''All:** Try hard!''

 **''Rosalina:** You've gotta try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''All: Try as hard as you can!''

''(Remix puts on the parasail and leaps over the edge)''

 **''Katelyn:** No one knows this place better than you''

''And there is one thing you have to do''

''And that is to jump off of this here edge''

''And land on the bull's eye!''

''And I know that you must be really scared''

''But all of the tempers that have flared''

''Would make you want to jump off of this here ledge''

''And this is why!''

''Because if we win today's challenge''

''The prize that we get is worth the cringe''

''And if we really are the victors''

''It's first class all the way!''

''You've gotta try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

 **''All:** Try hard!''

 **"Katelyn:** You've gotta try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

 **''All:** Try hard!''

 **''Katelyn:** You've gotta try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

 **''All:** Try hard!''

 **''** **Katelyn** **:** You've gotta try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

 **''All:** Try as hard as you can!''

''(Katelyn puts on the parasail and jumps off)''

 **''Iggy:** So here I am at the very edge''

''This task we must do is really full-fledged''

''Injury or death to all those who fail it!''

''Just like that Pierre Pascal''

''But now that I really must do it''

''There's no point in throwing a fit''

''Not even the slightest, smallest, little bit''

''Time to face it all!''

''There is no way to wonder now''

''Why I'd ever do this or how?''

'''Cause now my team really, really needs me''

''And I can't let them down!''

''I've gotta try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

 **''All:** Try hard!''

 **''Iggy:** I've gotta try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

 **''All:** Try hard!''

 **''Iggy:** I've gotta try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

 **''All:** Try hard!''

 **''Iggy:** I've gotta try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

''Try!''

 **''Girls:** Try!''

 **''Iggy:** Try as hard as I can!''

''All: Try as hard as you can! Yeah!''

''(Iggy puts on the parasail and jumps off, cheering)''

''End Musical Reprise''

* * *

"OK, now that all the singing's over, let's tally up the results of Team Sahara. Perfectionist landed…42 feet from the bull's eye. So, taking off 30 feet off, she's got only twelve feet, which is the new record! Animal Lover landed…53 feet away, so we trim it down to 26 feet."

"But 26 feet isn't half of 53! Technically, it should be 26.5." Mr. L protested.

"Yeah? Well we don't care about all them little numbers like that, so you can zip it! So, as for Napoleon…he landed…"

Isabelle snickered.

"…Ninety-nine feet from the bull's eye! Ha! He sucks!"

"Ninety-nine feet?" Pauline exclaimed. "That's, like, right on the edge, eh!"

"Exactly."

"But…but…"

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

Down below, following the report by Carl, Iggy, met with the glare of Rosalina, grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

"Hey…at least I tried, right? Heh, heh…gulp."

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

Back up on the platform, Pauline facepalmed herself.

"Alright, so the current high score is for Team Sahara, with 12 feet. Team Victory II, which is really only Chubby here, you're up! You gotta beat that girl's score if you wanna win this challenge!"

With that, Wario nervously approached. He paused for a moment as he faced Isabelle, with one of the backpacks, similar to the original parachutes, outstretched for him. Wario slowly reached out for it and took it with a trembling hand. Strapping it on, he looked back at his team. Wendy and Rain gave him the thumbs-up, and Mr. L was also giving a hand gesture as well…only this one was directed at Isabelle, who wasn't looking at that moment, and was a rather rude gesture.

Wario slowly turned back to the edge of the platform. He leaned over and looked down at the massive target area below him.

He took a final, deep breath. He knew that it all came down to him now. This jump, this performance would decide whether or not his team survived another week, or if one more of them would be voted off. He had to at least beat Rosalina's score to earn first place for his team, or at least get somewhere in between Rosalina's and Toadette's scores for second place.

He turned towards the others and walked away from the edge. Another inhalation.

Then he turned around sharply and, without a bit of hesitation, charged forward.

"I'm not gonna wimp out this time!" He declared as he ran forward, bounding over the edge. As he continued to move forward, he started to descend. Just when his forward projection was almost completely zero, he deployed the parasail. In a moment, his descent was slowed significantly, and he was moving down towards the ground at an angle, drawing closer to the ground and the target.

As he drew closer, he started to drift off to the side.

"No…come on…" He started jerking the ropes of his parasail to the side so that he would turn more to the left.

"Closer…closer…."

Just then, a gust of air hit him, swooping him right up and rippling through the parasail, causing it to puff up like a balloon as it fully absorbed the air.

"No! Must…get…closer…"

But the wind continued lifting him up higher, raising him farther up above the ground. He looked down and saw that he was now on a direct course for the bull's eye.

Except that it was nearly fifty feet below him, with ten feet between him and it.

He grabbed onto the strings with both hands and pulled them tight, straightening it out. At the same instant, he tried to throw his body down and have the weight pull against the wind.

At that moment, his weight did contribute…

…to the ropes breaking.

The ropes all snapped at once, in perfect unison. The snapping was followed by the three-second long, high-pitched scream, and then the loud thud as he slammed into the ground, burying himself within a foot of the earth's crust.

Everyone, both on the platform and on the ground, cringed again with a collective, "Oooooh."

Carl nervously approached the hole and looked down into it. The back of the large teen looked back up at him, a soft groaning coming from within.

Carl swallowed nervously, then looked up from where Wario had landed: Right in the center of the bull's eye.

He held up the radio.

"Uh, Isabelle sir?"

"Yeah, Carl?"

"I think he's alright. And I think you can see where he landed from up there."

"I sure can!" Isabelle then let go of the button and whirled around to face the others. "Wouldn't you know it? Chubby broke the strings, and landed right in the smack-dab middle of the bull's eye! Team Victory II wins!"

A cheer arose from the other three members. Hi-fives and hugs were exchanged, as all of the other contestants hung their heads in defeat.

"And, with the second-highest score, Team Sahara comes in second. And ya'll know what that means for Team Madison?"

But all members of the aforementioned team were not there. The six of them stood around Wario's crater, along with Carl, Rosalina, Katelyn, and Iggy. Carl's radio buzzed, and Isabelle's voice repeated the results into it for everyone to hear.

"Sorry, wimpies over on Team Madison! Looks like you're gonna be sending someone home…tonight. See ya'll back on the Jet!"

* * *

 **Later…**

In the aftermath of the task, Wario had been taken to the infirmary with nothing but a dozen cuts, scrapes, and bruises, along with a black eye and broken nose. He lied down on the couch in first class (which noticeably bent heavily under his weight) as Rain attended to him.

Down in the over-crowded economy-class, the mood was dark and heavy. Especially for the six unfortunate members of Team Madison.

After a long, awkward silence, Skyler, tracing one finger around in circles on the wooden bench, said to Toadette and Isabel sitting next to her, "So…who do we vote off tonight?"

Toadette, naturally, didn't respond. Lauren returned a simple shrug. Jessica nodded and resumed with her finger-tracing.

The other three members were out and about around economy-class. Madison was sitting in the cafeteria, brooding over her team's loss and the stupidity of her teammates. Susan was off making a Confessional. But one certain redheaded boy was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Susan** – So, nobody's told me who we're voting tonight. I really don't know who to vote for. But I think that I need to stick with Marilyn. She is the team captain, after all. She probably knows what's best for-

(The door opens slightly, and a small piece of paper flies through the crack, landing on the sink in front of Susan. The door quickly shuts again.)

 **Susan** – Huh? What's this? (She picks up the paper and reads what is written on one side.) "Vote for me tonight, Susan. Trust me. It is all part of the plan. Signed…Madison." Huh! Well, I don't know who this "Madison" is, but I guess she wants us to vote for her tonight. And this has to be from her. I mean, it clearly says "Signed, Madison." OK, well, I guess I know who I'm voting for tonight!

* * *

Skyler and Isabel finally decided to leave the dank, dripping, and silent economy-class area and head into the cafeteria. As they walked along, Skyler repeated her earlier question.

"So, who should we vote for tonight? We can't just sit around and wait for something to happen."

"I know, I know." Isabel replied. "Normally, I wouldn't want to talk to you lower people, but I have to agree with you. And besides, I think that you and I are really on the front lines tonight."

"Really?" Skyler's eyes widened. "Why would you say that?"

"Well, look at the facts. I, being the highly-acclaimed and prestigious woman that I am, already have plenty of money. And people know that. They just can't handle my level of class. And you…"

"…are a klutz." Skyler finished.

"Very good, darling! But you see? We both have a reason for being voted off."

At that moment, they walked into the cafeteria.

"Look, there's Madison." Isabel gestured. "Let's ask her."

"Why?"

"Duh. She's clearly the leader of the team. And she's not stupid, like Susan. She knows what she's doing. Come on, let's see what she thinks."

They approached the brooding blonde, who lifted her head up at the sight of her two teammates.

"Before you say anything, I know that you're here to ask about who I think we should boot tonight, right?"

"Ye…yes. That's right." Skyler replied. She and Lauren slowly slid into two seats opposite the table from their team's self-proclaimed captain.

"Well, if you truly want my intellectually superior opinion, then I want that stupid Susan gone."

"Susan? Why Susan?"

"Well, look at her! She's dumber than a lamppost. That could really cost us in more mental challenges, or she could go and give away any strategies we may have. She's clearly a weaker player, and has to go."

"You're sure?" Isabel asked.

"Look, just stay with me during this game, and I can guarantee that the three of us will be going to the merge."

"Promise?" Skyler asked.

With a roll of her eyes, Madison replied, "Yes, I promise."

With that, the two girls got up and walked away, leaving Madison alone once again. She rested her head in her hands once more and stared at the wall, contemplating what she had just told them. What she had just planned. And what she was still yet to do.

As she looked off into space, she was unaware of a pair of eyes watching her from the other end of the cafeteria hall. The person's eyebrows furrowed as he evaluated the conversation the three girls had just had, and he slowly vanished into the shadows.

''Later; 25 minutes to Barf Bag Ceremony''

A certain texting girl had not moved from that same spot since they first arrived back at the Jet, and no one dared to sit next to her, for fear of going crazy from the rapid click-clacking of the keys, the beeps, the ringtones, and the loud vibrating sounds.

But, after a while, someone took full advantage of the relative distance between her and everyone else, and slid over next to her. The person leaned in close to her, whispering in her ear.

"Hey. Vote for Klutzy Girl over there tonight, got it?" The person said blankly with a gesture at the nearby Skyler, sitting several feet away and gazing thoughtfully out the window.

Toadette continued texting. There was a pause. A beep. Then more texting.

"Hey, did you hear me? She's too clumsy, and could cost us a serious physical challenge. Just vote for her, alright?"

A vibration. More texting.

"Hello? Are you listening to me?" The person hissed. She feared her whispering getting too loud, and enough for others to hear, but was truly losing her patience with Toadette.

"Am I getting through to you?"

A brief pause. Toadette shifted ever so subtly, and resumed texting.

"Ugh! Forget it." And with that, Madison threw her arms up, got up off the wooden seat, and stormed out. Toadette never even budged.

* * *

 **About ten minutes later…**

After sitting on that wooden bench for almost several hours straight, Toadette finally got up, her eyes still locked on the small, handheld device, and walked off into the hall towards the Confessional. As she entered the Confessional, someone was watching her from behind the pink, torn, raggedy curtain.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Toadette** – (As she is texting) I just needed a quieter, more confined place for me to do my texting. That's all.

(Cell phone beeps)

Huh? A text from an unknown number? Hmm…it says, "Vote Madison." That's all. Hmph. Well, whoever it is, they've just taken full advantage of the one surefire way to get a message to me. And I've got to give them credit for that.

* * *

From behind the same curtain, just a spitting distance from the closed door of the Lavatory Confessional, a certain someone slowly closed their cell phone and twirled it around casually in their hands, a sinister grin on their face.

Only two more to go. The person thought with a slight chuckle.

Later; 10 minutes to Barf Bag Ceremony

As Skyler was leaning up against the cold, hard, wet metal wall, in a fruitless attempt to get some good rest before the elimination, her only male teammate walked up to her.

"Having a nice nap, Skyler?" He said politely, with a genuine smile on his face.

"Ugh. Not really."

"Oh, good. Then I'm sure I won't be intruding onto your tight schedule too much. May I please speak with you?"

"Uh, sure." Skyler slowly started to lift herself up, wincing as her back ached in the process.

"Allow me." Blayke carefully took hold of her hand and slowly lifted her up, just in the right way so that her back didn't hurt as he did it.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Blayke led her down the hall, through the cafeteria, and into the elimination area. It sat completely dark, awaiting use in just ten minutes. The many large tiki statues had their eyes on the two teens as they entered. The bright orange curtain on the stage at the far end was the most luminescent thing in the room as it reflected some of the light from the cafeteria.

"Yeah? What is it, Blayke?"

"I'm sure that you, uh, spoke with Madison earlier today? You know, after the challenge?"

"Um, yes I did."

"I thought so. Was it just you and her, or was anyone else involved?"

"Well, Isabel was with me."

"Ah. And what exactly did she tell you? No need for me to ask what you spoke about; we all know what's on everyone's mind right now."

Skyler swallowed nervously, knowing now that he knew exactly what their conversation was about. She found herself wondering why she was so nervous about telling him when it didn't even involve him.

"She…said to vote for Susan tonight."

"Susan? Why her?"

"That's exactly what I asked her. She said it's because Susan's…well, uh…"

"Not the sharpest knife in the rack?"

"Well…yes."

"I thought so."

"And Madison said that could cost us future challenges."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Look, I understand that you look up to Madison, being the person that the team is named after and all, but you must learn to think for yourself. Which is exactly why you should understand who we really need to vote for tonight."

"Who's that?"

"Madison."

Skyler was taken aback, and shuddered briefly at the thought. "Oh, no. We can't do that. She's…she…we need…"

"No, she's only making you think that you need her. She's trying to brainwash you all into becoming her cronies. Her minions. Her empty-minded, fully dependent drones."

"Cronies? I'm not a crony!"

"Exactly. You want to be your own person, right?"

"Of course!"

"Then join me in voting for Madison. Trust me; it will be the best choice you make tonight."

"But what if she isn't…?"

"Oh, she'll be voted out. Don't you worry about that, my friend." Blayke smiled, his white teeth gleaming in the darkness like the Cheshire Cat. "I've already convinced several others to do the same. Trust me." He put a hand on her shoulder. Its unseen presence in the dark felt cold and clammy, and not too reassuring. "It will all go according to plan."

"Oh…OK. If you say so."

"You won't regret this. I promise."

And with that, the feeling of his hand dropped off her shoulder. It took her a few moments to realize that he had already disappeared into the darkness. She swallowed nervously.

* * *

 **Barf Bag Ceremony**

The six members of Team Madison all sat on the old, wooden bleachers in the elimination area. Isabelle stood on the stage nearby, with the platter of Barf Bags on a small pedestal in front of him.

"Alright, Team Madison weaklings! You've all cast your votes, and the decision has been made! When I call your name, get ready to catch your disgusting, grimy, vomit-filled Bag with equally disgusting and poorly-priced peanuts within, because you're safe! Now, the first Barf Bag goes to…Isabel!"

"Yes!" The prom queen cheered, only for the Bag to hit her in the stomach. "Ow! Watch where you're throwing that thing!"

"Toadette!"

The texting girl barely noticed as the Bag hit her in the shoulder.

"Blayke."

Blayke smirked and held out a hand, which caught the Barf Bag before it could hit him in the face. Blayke pulled the Bag closer to him and, as he started eating the peanuts one by one, he winked at Isabelle. Isabelle scowled back before continuing.

"Anyway. Next is…Skyler!"

The klutz breathed a sigh of relief, only for the Bag to hit her in the face and send her toppling back behind the seat.

"Two of you are left! Madison, the girl that this team is named after. And Susan, the stupidest person ever to compete on this show!"

The redheaded girl looked around at the others before she pointed a finger at herself. "Me?"

"Both of you received some votes against ya. But, in the end, one received more than the other. Tonight, the final Barf Bag goes to…"

"…"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"…Susan!"

"Who?" The Barf Bag then hit her in the chest. "Ouch." She groaned, arms wrapping around herself.

"WHAT?" Madison roared, jumping to her feet. "You fools voted for me? Me? ME? Your team leader! The person your team bears the same name as! The person who is smarter than any of you, always has been smarter than any of you, and always will be smarter than any of you? How could you? Oh, I promise you all, this is the biggest mistake you have ever made! And when I find out who voted for me, I'll-."

As most of the others on the bleachers cowered in fear at Madison's explosive tirade, a large hand mercifully wrapped around her mouth, with the other stuffing a parachute in here hand. Then the same hand that was around her mouth proceeded to give her one powerful shove that lifted her off her feet and sent her flying right through the open door. As she fell away, everyone could barely hear the receding scream.

"NOOOOOOOooooooo…"

It grew fainter and fainter until there was no scream left to be heard.

As several others sat up, either from their cowering or recovering from being hit by Isabelle's Barf Bags, one member was fully satisfied by the result.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Isabelle** – (At the controls) That was some ceremony, eh?

 **Blayke** – You said it, my good host friend. (Turns to the camera) I knew that it would all work out. I'm sure that all of you watching back home saw most of my tricks on camera. That's good, because I want my fans to become fully aware of how I operate. I don't use force, or persuasion, or threats. I use clever little tricks. Taking advantage of Susan's stupidity was child's play. Sending a text message to Toadette wasn't so hard. But you've got to be a real smooth-talker like me if you want to do something like convince Skyler by playing nice. Or, maybe a little more than nice, if you know what I mean.

 **Isabelle** – What about Prissy Fit Girl?

 **Blayke** – I had a feeling that she wouldn't be one to listen to me after how I treated her during the challenge. I felt it best to just stay away from her. Besides, by that point, I had convinced everybody else on the team except for her and Madison, so there was really no point in trying to convince her as well. If not for the sole purpose of it being a true landslide victory. That can be good, and definitely feels good. But in my opinion, as long as you get the job done, even by the slightest hair's width, then that's good enough.

 **Isabelle** – You, kid, are brilliant!

 **Blayke** – I know, I know. There's a new guy in town. And he's going all the way to the end!

* * *

"Now we have a real competitor!" Isabelle declared to the camera facing her in the cockpit. "How will Blayke handle his team of ditzy girls now that he has total control over them? Will Chubby be able to get back in the game and face another life-threatening challenge? And will we ever find out what the deal is with Whiner Boy? Find out next time, on Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

* * *

 **Voting Confessionals**

 **Blayke** – (Holds up Madison's passport with a smug grin, and stamps it). Once upon a time, you were a formidable competitor. But you have lost your touch, and it's time for someone else to take your place. Farewell, my fellow strategist.

 **Susan** – Well, you asked me to vote for you, so…(stamps Madison's passport). Good luck with your plan!

 **Isabel** – Madison is right. Suzie's an idiot. That could be even more of a disadvantage than Skyler's clumsiness. (Stamps Susan's passport)

 **Madison** – (Stamps Susan's passport) Like I said…dumber than a lamppost.

 **Toadette** – (Still texting with one hand, grabs the stamp with the other hand and stamps Madison's passport)

 **Skyler** – (Biting her fingernails nervously as she glances between Susan's passport and Madison's passport) Oh…what do I do…what do I do? The logics that both of them used were really good…Madison is the team leader…But there's something about Blayke that just seems so…so…correct! (Quickly stamps Madison's passport) Oh, I hope this doesn't come back to haunt me! (Runs out of the Confessional)

* * *

 **Voting Results**

 **Blayke** – Madison

 **Skyler** – Madison

 **Isabel** – Suzie

 **Madison** – Suzie

 **Toadette** – Madison

 **Skyler** – Madison

* * *

 **Total Votes**

 **Madison** – 4

 **Susan** – 2


	6. How do You Spell Mystic ? Part 1

"Last time, on Total Drama Mario World Tour: Sunset Heights, Dawn Kingdom. Here, our contestants got to familiarize themselves with some of the local architecture, by tightrope walkin' and parasailing off the top! There were falls, there were failures, there were even some flat-out drops, smacks, and rope-burns to the crotch!

"Some of the highlights include: Newcomer Blayke giving Prom Queen the pep talk of her life; the first season winner throwing fits and getting cocky and abrasive; and an incredible win by Chubby to claim victory for Team Victory II for the second week going!

"That night, Blayke worked fast, quietly, and efficiently to organize a coup to eliminate the team's self-proclaimed leader, the sexist Madison. She was given the boot, and swore to make the others pay…even though she didn't get a chance, heh-heh.

"Now, we're three down, fifteen to go. Last time, you strapped on your safety harnesses and made a prayer before taking a leap of faith. Now, put on your poncho and don't get seasick, 'cause we're going through our own kind of water park! Who will win? Who will lose? And who will be the next voted out? Find out here, on Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

* * *

Mr. L was reclining in one of the luxurious first-class seats, with a glass of Dr. Pepper in the cup holder.

"Ah…this is the life, eh pal?"

"Sure is, dude!" An equally relaxed Wario replied.

Just then, the stewardess approached.

"Cookies?" She asked politely, with a platter of chocolate chip cookies.

"Don't mind if I do." Mr. L then proceeded to grab an armful and start casually eating them, switching between the soda and the cookies.

"Man, winning feels good. And it's all thanks to you, my good friend." Matthew complimented.

"Why thank you. Say, could I, uh, borrow one of those?"

"Sorry. You're gonna have to get your own."

"OK. Hey, miss! Wait up!" Wario instantly jumped out of his seat and started after the stewardess.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

Economy-class, just one level below, was overcrowded again. The five members of Team Madison and the six members of Team Sahara still sat uncomfortably on the wooden seats. Even Isabel was too tired to complain.

However, one person was not at all upset about the terrible accommodations. She was far too scared from the previous elimination ceremony. Skyler was still shaking from the sight of the enraged Madison, vowing revenge on those who caused her to be violently removed from the plane.

A certain redhead next to her noticed her unease and scooted closer.

"Skyler…I can tell that you're upset about something. It's evident in both your body language and the fact that you're the only other person here who doesn't look the least bit exhausted by our rustic living quarters."

"Yeah…I'm just worried."

"About what? Madison? Did she scare you?"

"I'm not going to lie. Yes. She did. She scared me a lot."

"It's OK. You don't have to worry anymore; she's gone."

"I know…but she was just so…terrifying."

"You voted for her, didn't you?"

She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly before answering. "Yes."

Blayke casually put his arm around her. "Don't worry. You did the right thing. Just stay with me, and I'll keep you safe from elimination."

"You…you will?" She looked up into his eyes, which reflected his calmness and complexion.

"I promise."

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – Yeah; if she doesn't kill me first. If she pulls something like she did back in Firelulu, then she can kiss that million bucks goodbye!

* * *

Logan, sitting across the way, observed Blayke's smooth actions and shook his head.

"That poor girl…his seed is being planted in her mind well."

"Huh?" Iggy muttered next to him.

Logan leaned in close. "Just look at that newcomer, Blayke. He's so…sly. That grin…those eyes…I don't trust him."

"Well, you're not on the same team as him, so why are you worrying?"

"I just want to keep an eye out for him. You know, as a post-merge threat. I'll bet that he was the one behind Madison's elimination."

"Then thank God that he's here!"

"Well, yes." Logan chuckled.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Logan** – Like I said, I still don't trust Ethan. Yes, he did help save my sanity when he offered to switch teams…but I feel that that could have very well been his attempt at winning over my trust. I originally didn't have much to suspect…but Madison was really in charge over there. She had the entire team under her thumb; she even had the team named after her! Most of the other people on that team are weak-minded or just plain stupid It could have only taken a mastermind to get rid of her in her own domain…

* * *

"Alright, kiddos! We'll be heading into our next location soon! So head on into the cargo hold, and wait for me there!"

"Ha!" Rosalina dared to yell back at the voice over the intercom. "You think that we're gonna fall for that again? And I mean literally, fall for that? We're not stupid, you know!"

"Do what you wanna do…but just remember one thing: It's two million bucks on the line. Take it or leave it. If you must know, I'll be down there myself. You'll be in a boat before you're dropped out. Just like in the Big Banana last time. That good enough for ya?"

Rosalina didn't respond, but got up and walked out with all of the others.

A few minutes later, the remaining fifteen contestants were all in the cargo hold. Sure enough, there was the same massive boat, with the outboard motor, steering console in the center, and the rubber covering. They all managed to squeeze in, and Isabelle pulled out a remote control. Se pressed the large red button in the center of it, and the trapdoor instantly opened up. The teens all held on for dear life as the boat instantly plummeted straight down, the air whooshing around them.

Then, suddenly, there was a massive splash, and the boat jerked violently as it settled onto the water. One unfortunate girl ended up slamming her face into the side from the impact.

As all of the teens lifted their heads, they saw that they were indeed on a massive river, with a great skyline towering on one side. There was bustling activity all around. Cars, bicyclists, and pedestrians. There were many boats along the shoreline.

"Cool!" Mona said. After a pause, she added, "Where are we?"

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to The Birthplace of Rock and Roll, and The Home of the Blues! We are in none other than Luminous Forest, Mystic Kingdom!"

"Alright!" Mr. L cheered, sharing a quick hi-five with Logan. "I've been here before! This place is awesome!"

"All of the great musical artists that we know today had their starts here." Logan added. "Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley."

"Great balls of fire!" Wario exclaimed. "Elvis?"

"Of course. This is practically Elvis city."

"Nice!"

"Enough talking about music! Let's get down to the task. And I'll say it right now: The task does not involve being in Luminous Forest for too long."

A collective sigh of disappointment came from the teens.

"The real challenge is about where we are right now! And I mean this exact spot. We are currently riding on the Mystic River; the third longest river in the world!"

"Technically, we are not on the Mystic River." Iggy chimed in, once again using his matter-of-factly voice.

"What? What are you talking about, kid?"

"This little area that you coincidentally landed in is a small section of water that is adjacent to the main river, mainly as a parking area for boats and other vessels. This is called the Casino River."

"You're kiddin', right?"

"I kid you not, sir."

Just then, a massive hand swooped down and grabbed Iggy by the collar of his shirt. Before he could even say anything, the annoyed host launched him out of the boat and into the frigid waters.

"Iggy!" Katelyn called in shock. She turned around to face Iggy. "You jerk!"

Then, in a lightning-like motion, she stepped on Isabelle's tail. As Isabelle slowly bent down in pain, issuing a high-pitched wail, Katelyn instantly dove off the side of the boat and swam towards Iggy.

"Isaiah, hang on! I've got you!"

"So…cold…"

Katelyn grabbed the shivering form of Iggy and held him close as she started kicking back towards the boat, with the other thirteen teens all staring in mute disbelief at the sudden absurd situation. Katelyn reached the boat, and gave one quick heave that launched Iggy back onboard. She then pulled herself up.

"Are you OK?" She said as she leaned over Iggy.

"I was…I was just…stating the facts."

"I know, I know." As she bent down over him, she glared back at Isabelle, who was slowly recovering from the blow.

"Oh…What happened?" Her voice was still slightly cracking.

"The pain must've taken that much of a toll on her; she can't remember." Rosalina whispered.

"Um…" Blayke started. "You were just about to explain the challenge, and how it had to do with the Luminous River. You happened to fall when your butt gave out, and hit your tail." Blayke shot a quick glance at Iggy after he finished.

"Oh, right." Isabelle stood up, knees shaking slightly. "Age must be catching up to me. Well, anyway: Each team will get a boat, similar to this one. They're all parked right over there."

Isabelle gestured to the side, and they all saw three boats that matched the shape and design of the large one they were in. One was yellow, one was pink, and one was blue.

"Each team will ride in their boat upriver, in a long, watery race. You will race from here, Luminous Forest, all the way up to Aqua Road, Mystic Kingdom! No stops, no breaks; it's one long, wild ride. Along the way, you will face many obstacles: Rough waters, rocks, other vessels, and, of course, each other. When you arrive in Aqua Road, you must stop along the shoreline as close as you can to the famous Aqua Road's Myriad.

All of your teammates must scramble out and haul your whiny little butts to the great landmark. The first team to have all of its members touch the base of the Myriad wins first-class and Invincibility. And then second team gets no win, but no elimination…and, well, you know how it goes for the last team."

He let the implication sink in before continuing.

"Now, you will all have a few minutes to get into your boat and prep up. Team Sahara gets the blue boat. Team Madison gets the pink boat. And Team Victory II gets the yellow boat. Oh, and one more thing: Don't put the engine on full blast for too long, or you just might wear it out. That's pretty much the part that can determine who wins and who loses. It's all strategy, and about how much you evenly space out each burst of speed."

"What about fuel?" Iggy asked, earning a subtle but stern glance from Blayke.

"Don't worry about that; all boats are filled to the brim. Now hurry up and get to your boats!"

"But…aren't you going to take us to them?" Isabel asked impatiently.

"What? You afraid of water?"

"Well, I do have a condition…"

With that, Isabelle's mighty hand came down once more and grabbed Isabel by her ponytail.

"OW! You big jerk, let go!"

But this time, no one was there to help as Isabelle gave her a mighty fling and launched her from the boat. She screamed through the air before landing. However, instead of the splash that everyone expected, there was instead a metallic slam. When everyone looked, they saw that she had an even more painful landing spot: On a nearby buoy.

"Ohhhh…" Isabel groaned in misery before sliding off and into the water.

"Anyone else got a problem with it? Hm?"

"No, sir!" Everyone simultaneously yelled back.

"Good! Now get swimmin'!" And with that, Isabelle whipped out a small, shiny whistle that reflected the sun's light. She took a deep breath and blew on it, creating a screech that was far more horrifying than nails on a chalkboard.

The fourteen in the boat were quick to oblige, leaping over the side and into the water, swimming fast towards their respective boats. As Blayke swam by the buoy, he put his arm around Isabel's stomach from behind and back kicked the rest of the way to the boat.

Mr. L was the first onto Team Victory II's boat. "Come on, guys! Let's go! We've got a race to win!"

He was quick and fairly harsh as he helped Wendy and Rain in. But then their fourth member came up.

"Hey! A little help here?" Mr. L asked when he had trouble pulling Wario up. However, even with the combined help of the two girls, it proved difficult.

"Come on! Pull harder!" Mr. L gave one fast, hard tug and managed to suddenly pull Wario right up…only for him to land on and crush Matthew.

Meanwhile, Logan and Pauline together helped Rosalina, Iggy, Katelyn, and Mona onto the Team Sahara boat.

"Oh, geez, this water is cold!" Mona exclaimed. "Isn't it, like, June?"

"Mid-June, yes." Low added. "I didn't think it was that cold. Once, I had to stand on a glacier in Shiveria for over an hour."

"Really?" Her eyes widened.

"Yes. Without a jacket. That's why I always have this trench coat on me. If you'd like…"

"Uh, sure."

"Here." He discarded the black coat and handed it to her.

"Thanks."

"Not a problem."

Nicole smiled at him, and Logan returned the smile.

Off to the side, re shook her head. She then turned to Pauline. "How come you never give me a jacket when I'm cold?"

"I never wear a jacket myself, eh."

"Alright, worms! Enough talking! Select a helmsman, and hang on tight! These things can go pretty fast."

Almost instantly, Pauline stepped up to the wheel for Team Sahara. "I had to pilot a crazy spaceship to win the last season; I can handle a boat."

"I'll drive." Mr. L declared. "I have also had experience with boats."

On Team Madison, most of the other members were backing down. Isabel used her injury excuse, Susan said she didn't know how, Toadette was too busy texting, and when Skyler volunteered, everyone instantly snubbed her.

Thus, only one choice was left.

"Fine." Blayke muttered before stepping up and taking hold of the wheel.

"Teams, start your engines!"

After the three engines roared to life at the hands of the helmsmen, Isabelle started counting.

"And five…four…ah, screw it; just go!"

With a loud blow of her whistle, the three boats instantly rocketed off, shooting up a jet of water in their wake.

After a moment, all three teams heard a scratchy voice come in.

"Hey, maggots!"

"What the…Where's that coming from, eh?" Pauline asked, looking around.

"Right here, doofus." Isabelle's voice replied.

All six members of Team Sahara looked down and saw a small speaker on the dashboard.

"I'll be talking to ya'll by this throughout the race. I'm currently talking to all three of you at once, actually."

"Well, what is it?" Mr. L asked impatiently.

"All three of you are heading the wrong way. You're going south. Unless you plan to go to Casino Forest instead, then you better turn your butts around!"

Almost instantly, Mr. L spun the wheel hard to starboard, sending them spinning around a full 180 degrees. Rain and Wendy held on for dear life, while Wario barely moved. Just as they started heading straight again, they saw Team Madison's boat dead ahead of them, heading straight for them.

"L! Look out!" Wendy yelled.

But Mr. L simply gripped the wheel harder and kept his course.

"L!" All three of them yelled simultaneously.

Just then, Team Madison's boat swung out of the way just in time, veering to port. As Team Victory II's boat sped past, their wake shot right over the five occupants of the pink boat, soaking all of them.

"UGH! My hair!"

Blayke shook the water out of his red hair and glared at Mr. L, who grinned back as they sped off.

"I knew that they would turn first." Mr. L explained. "If I kept confident and stayed with the course, they would give in and turn first. I couldn't afford to make a sudden turn and risk losing our head start."

Meanwhile, as Team Madison's boat swung around and gave chase to Team Victory II's, Team Sahara's boat was still heading the wrong way.

"Pauline! Turn around!" Rosalina cried.

Pauline quickly spun the wheel to port, turning sharply. Katelyn, Logan, Mona, and Rosalina all managed to hang on. But one person didn't.

"AUGH!" Iggy's long, raspy scream was cut off by a splash.

"IGGY!" Katelyn instantly leapt off the boat for the second time and started swimming towards him. The others all noticed instantly and turned around.

"Darn it! Pauline, turn around now!" Rosalina ordered.

"Who put you in charge, eh?"

"Just do it! You know how it is; all members of the team must be present when we cross the finish line!"

"Fine." With a mutter under her breath, Pauline eased up on the throttle and slowly turned around, coming right back to the two teammates in the water.

"Are you OK, Iggy?"

"Ugh…I'm sick of always falling in. But why did you jump in again?"

"I wanted to see if you were OK, that's all."

"Um…thanks?"

As the boat pulled up alongside them, and Rosalina and Logan helped them in, Pauline looked back at the two quickly-receding boats.

"We've lost a huge lead, eh."

"Well, let's get going then!" Rosalina urged.

Pauline was quick to oblige, as she opened the throttle once more.

"Here we go again…and dang it; hang on this time, will ya?"

Iggy made sure to get a firm grip on one of the handles along the inside of the boat's gunwale before Pauline instantly turned the wheel and sped on after the other two.

Standing alone in the massive boat off to the side, Isabelle was rubbing her knees with a worried expression on her face.

"I'm not that old…am I?" She nervously asked one of the cameramen.

"Um, Isabelle? We're still rolling."

"Oops. Um, ahem. So there you have it! The third challenge of the season begins! Who will win? Who will lose? And who else will fall out of their boat before the day is over? Find out when we return…to Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

She stood in the usual sign-off pose, arms in the air dramatically. After a pause, she hissed, "OK, you can cut now."

"Uh, sir…we still have about six minutes before the commercial break."

"What? Oh…" Isabelle glanced back at the camera. "Dang it." She quickly assumed a cheesy smile to catch herself on the rebound. "Um…alright. So, we're not going anywhere yet! So…uh, let's check on their progress so far!"

As the cameraman gave the thumbs up and switched the viewers' POV, Isabelle wiped some sweat off her brow.

"You know, you could'a told me that we had more time." She muttered to a nearby intern with a buzz cut blonde hairdo, a white tank top shirt, and a clipboard in hand.

"Um, Isabelle? I didn't even give the signal to sign off."

"Really?"

"I think that age might actually be getting to you. Not being able to tell time correctly is a major sign."

"It is?" Isabelle slowly turned away, her tail quivering.

* * *

"Yes!" Mr. L cheered proudly as he looked back. "We're making great time! We're ahead of Team Madison, and Team Sahara is way back there! If we just keep a steady pace, we can make it!"

"Just remember what Isabelle said; if you work the engine too hard, it'll overheat."

"I don't need to worry about overheating, thank you very much." Mr. L shot back at Wendy. "I'm not putting this on full blast; I'm not stupid. It's a little over half speed."

"You're telling me that this is half speed?" Rachael asked incredulously as she clung to the railing for dear life.

"You bet."

Wario looked back at Team Madison's boat, not too far behind them.

"Just don't slow down, buddy! They're at a good speed too, and that Blayke guy looks determined!"

"Well, I'm even more determined." Mr. L said with a glare at Blayke's direction. "The newcomer thinks he's better than me, eh? We'll just see about that."

* * *

 **''A few hours later…''**

"L, buddy? They're not any further behind." Wario informed him blankly.

"I know, I know!" Mr. L, gritting his teeth, turned and looked back at Team Madison's boat once more. They were still at the same distance. Or were they just a little bit closer?

"OK, it's time to do something. Hang on, everyone! I've got an idea!"

He started to slow down.

"L, Team Madison's boat is gaining on us!" Wario reported.

"I know, I know! That's the idea! Now hang on as tight as you can!"

Everyone grabbed onto the railing, and Mr. L was constantly looking back and forth between where they were going and how much closer Team Madison was getting. Soon, they were just a few yards off. He could already see Blayke's arrogant grin.

L looked forward again and could see another boat approaching slowly from the front; a large paddlewheel boat. He grinned. "OK, this is it!"

Mr. L instantly slammed the brakes, and everyone was lifted in the air for a moment, due to having a death grip on the railings they were grabbing onto.

Almost immediately, Blayke saw the enemy boat instantly draw much closer at an alarming rate.

"Edgar! Watch out!" Susan cried.

"My name's Blay-AUGH!" Blayke swerved hard to the left, barely scraping the side of Team Victory II's boat.

"Phew-WAUGH!"

He saw the new civilian vessel suddenly coming right at them, with a loud horn blaring as they drew closer. He frantically swerved to the left again…only to crash right into another buoy and spin out of control.

All five of the boat's occupants were screaming in terror as they held on for dear life, the vessel still spinning wildly. As it slowed down, they could see the Team Victory II boat speeding away, fast becoming a small dot in the distance.

Blayke shook his head, recovering from the dizziness, and glared at the receding boat.

"Clever, I'll give him that. Hang on, everyone! I'm going to gun it!"

The four girls barely had time to get a firm grip on something as Blayke put it on full speed, roaring off through the water and giving chase to their rival craft.

"Ethan, be careful not to overwork it too much!" Skyler warned.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But I don't plan to go at full speed for much longer. Chances are, they'll see us gaining, and they'll go full speed, too. Then I can slow down, and not put it at full speed for too long. But with that arrogant jerk at the wheel, they'll most likely keep going at top speed to get away. Maybe then, their engine will overheat!"

"That's a brilliant plan, Blayke." Isabel complimented.

"Thank you."

"Wait a minute…" Skyler started. "Where's Team Sahara's boat?"

They all started looking around, only to see that the other boat was nowhere in sight.

* * *

 **''Meanwhile…''**

"Let's go, already!" Rosalina yelled. "We're already behind everyone else! Pauline, speed it up!"

"I'm trying to keep it at a consistent speed, alright? If we go too fast, the engine might overheat! Remember what Isabelle said?"

"Forget what that old dog said! She probably said that just to make this thing last longer, so that there could be 'more drama' and 'higher ratings' and other stuff like that. Just gun it a little more, please? Look, you can't even see the other boats!"

They all followed Rosalina's gesture ahead of them, only to see that it was, in fact, true. With the exception of a fishing boat and a jet-ski that flew by, there were no other vessels in the area at all, let alone either of their opponent's boats.

"This is bad." She muttered, shaking her head. "And it's all your fault!"

She spun around and stuck a finger in Iggy's face.

"My fault?"

"Yes! You were the one who fell out of the boat!"

"Hey, don't stick a finger in his face!" Katelyn said as she quickly came between Rosalina and Iggy.

"Don't tell me what to do, Mrs. Green! You jumped in after him and delayed it even longer!"

"Mrs. Green? I'm not one of those tree-hugger types! I'm just an animal-hugger type."

"Animal-hugger, tree-hugger, same difference! I have just about had it with you two! I've lasted the last five hours on this smelly old boat with you; if I have to listen to you narrate about one more bird that passes by, one more fish that swims past, or one more insect that flies into my mouth, I'm going to scream!"

Off to the side, two other teammates were sitting back and enjoying the show.

"This is just like when I was stuck on that girl's team." Logan commented to Mona, shaking his head. "I understand her pain completely."

"It's getting a little boring, though." Mona commented. "It's just been the same banter back and forth for a while."

"Quite." Logan yawned, stretched his arms out, and then lied down for a nap. "Let me know if we either get to Aqua Road, or if they start a fight."

"Will do." Mona returned with a smile.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Logan** – Ah, it's good to just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show…especially since I'm not the one at the center of it anymore.

 **Katelyn** – Rosalina thinks she's so special, just because her girlfriend won the second season and she's such a perfectionist about everything! And she needs to get her facts straight: Tree-huggers are in love with inanimate objects that have no life, no soul, and no heart. Those are the kinds of people who hijack ships just to prove a point.

But we animal lovers…we are one with our animal kin! Animals are alive! They have feelings, too! And we wouldn't go breaking the law just to make a statement! …Well, except for that one time where I set the vet's office back home on fire because my dog was scared of the long needle. I'll tell you, that doctor was a quack! He didn't know how to properly insert the needle! He had it coming!

* * *

Mr. L glanced at his watch. "It's been several hours, already! Where the heck are we?"

"I think I saw a sign back there a while ago that said New Aqua Road." Rain reported.

"Really?" Mr. L asked. "Excellent! We're already halfway there!"

And then, at that moment, something horrible approached. All four teammates saw it, and instantly stopped what they were doing and stared at it. Mr. L slowly let up on the accelerator and stared in horror.

"No…way." Wendy muttered.

"A…fork." Mr. L stuttered. And then: "A…FORK!"

Ahead of them, splitting neatly in two opposite directions, was a fork in the river.

"Isabelle didn't say anything about a fork." Wario remarked.

"This is terrible!" Rain agreed.

"Which way do we go?" Wendy asked.

"The left side has always been my favorite side." Mr. L stated blankly. "We go left."

"Um, shouldn't we take a vote rather than base the decision on which side is your favorite?" Wendy questioned.

"A vote? That will take too long. And we're wasting enough time as it is. Every second we sit here and wait is a second more that Team Madison is using to catch up with us."

"He has a point." Wario agreed.

"Thank you, Wario." Mr. L replied. "So we go left."

And with that, Mr. L hit the accelerator once more and turned the wheel to the left, tearing off down the fork.

They were unaware that, not too far behind them, Team Madison was catching up.

They soon came to the very same fork, and stopped.

"What's this?" Blayke asked.

"Um, it's a split in the path, idiot." Isabel answered.

"Well, I know that." He shot back. "But…Isabelle didn't say anything about a split in the path."

"She probably just wanted to make it harder on us." Isabel replied.

"Of course she does. That's her one purpose in life; to make us miserable." Skyler agreed.

* * *

 **''Meanwhile…''**

Back in Luminous Forest, Isabelle overheard the conversation on Team Madison's boat.

"You got that right, clumsy."

She turned around to face the intern.

"Alright, Phil. Is the bar set up?"

"It's all ready to go, sir."

"Good. I'll prove that I ain't old."

She reached up and grabbed the bar with both hands, squeezing the cold metal tight.

"Look here, camera guy! If I was old, could I do fifty pull-ups like so?"

She then grunted, closed her eyes, and put all of her strength into her arms.

She barely budged.

"Huh? Humph. I just haven't done it in a while, that's all!"

She tried harder, but still couldn't find the strength to lift herself up. He started groaning, grunting, and making other strange noises as he tried to pull herself up.

"Just…gotta…get…one."

She tried with all of her might to pull herself up, but still just couldn't do it.

"Um, sir? Maybe you should take five for a while." Phil suggested.

"No! I can do it! I am not old!"

And then, suddenly, the bar collapsed, giving in to her weight and breaking apart from its already poor setup. Isabelle slammed to the ground, the metal bar still in her hands.

"Oooooh…"

"Donut, sir?" Carl offered, walking up to Isabelle with a pink cardboard box in hand.

"Ah, fine." Isabelle grabbed a pink frosted sprinkled donut and started munching away on it.

* * *

 **''Back on the River…''**

"So…which way do we go?" Blayke asked, turning to the others with a slightly fearful look. Even he was not prepared for something like this.

"We go left." Toadette spoke up, drawing everyone's attention to her. She was still glued to her phone.

"Left? Why?"

"In the amount of time it took you guys to insult each other and ask meaningless questions and make pointless statements, I went onto the Internet with my phone and looked up a map of the Mystic River. We go left at the giant fork, and it will take us right to Aqua Road."

Blayke slowly turned around and looked down the left side. He concentrated for a moment, and then saw it: The faintest trace of a large wake, dissipating in the water as it rippled lightly and spread out.

"Toadette's right. And not only that, but the other team has gone left, too. So we have no choice. Hang on, everyone!"

As they grabbed onto something sturdy, Skyler commented to Toadette.

"Wow, Toad. What would we do without you and your phone?"

There was no response.

* * *

 **Later…**

"Uh, L?" Wendy called. "I really think you should ease up on the engine now. You've been going at full speed for almost ten minutes!"

"Ten minutes surely can't be enough to short out the engine! This is a big boat! And besides, Team Madison is probably right behind us!"

The other three all looked back, and saw nothing.

"Nope. There's really nothing behind us."

"Look, L. All I'm saying is that-."

Before Wendy could go any further, there was a sudden, loud, and terrible clunk! The whole boat shook violently for a moment, throwing everyone off-balance.

"Oh, no…"

"It can't be!" Mr. L roared furiously. "After only ten minutes?"

He looked back, and after another quick clunk, a faint plume of smoke started billowing from the engine at the stern of the boat.

"No, no, no, NO!" Mr. L shouted, bashing his fists into the dashboard repeatedly.

"Calm down. It's just overheated." Rain reasoned.

Suddenly, it chugged and clanked again, and several small pieces flew off. The smoke grew darker and larger.

"Overheated engines don't do that!" Mr. L shot back.

"This is bad…the engine is toast!" Wario reported. "And not the good kind of toast, like French Toast, or with the sweet butter and jelly spread all over it…"

"Guys, we need to focus! Now, we're stuck in the middle of the Mystic River, more than halfway to the finish line, and now our engine gives out! Stupid Isabelle, too cheap to afford a decent engine!"

Suddenly, the familiar voice cracked over the radio. "It's called a budget, kid. Look into it."

"Argh! What are we gonna do?"

Matthew stormed up to the engine and violently kicked it.

"This could not possible get any worse."

Suddenly, there was the sound of a distant buzzing. It grew louder and louder, becoming even more familiar to the four occupants of Team Victory II's boat. And then it was at its loudest, when it sped past them and kicked up a massive spray onto them. Mr. L spun around, teeth gnashed, as the other boat sped right by.

"Payback time, losers!" Isabel called back, just as they sped out of earshot.

"Oh, yeah! Well you wanna know what I think?" Mr. L yelled after them.

"L, save it." Wendy said, putting a restraining hand on his balled fist. "They can't hear you."

"What are we going to do?" He exclaimed in fury. "Our engine is shot! And it's surely just a matter of time before the other team catches up to us! And then we'll be in last! And we'll have to kick someone off! And that someone might be me!"

He started biting his fingernails in nervousness.

"And it had better not be me!" He said angrily to the others.

"Calm down, L. We just need to fix this engine." Rain stated plainly.

"Yeah, except none of us know anything about fixing engines!"

"I think I might be able to help ya out there, laddy." A strange voice called.

The four teammates all turned around to see a small, green, wooden rowboat not a yard away from their boat, which they could have all sworn was not there a moment ago. There were tackleboxes, nets, and fishing poles inside it. A single figure sat on one of the wooden slats inside the boat, hunched over and with a fishing pole in hand.

The figure was entirely covered by a yellow poncho, draped down over its whole body, with dark, slick, black boots on its feet, and a yellow fisherman's hat on its head. Its voice was perfectly neutral; they honestly could not tell if it was a man or a woman. The voice was high, old, and scratchy, with the faintest hints of a pirate accent thrown in there, plus some Irish.

"What seems to be the trouble?" The figure said, not even looking up from its intent fishing. Right away, they noticed that the fishing pole didn't even have a line on it; it was just the bare pole. And yet the figure was deeply concentrating as if there really was a line, and a big fish was about to come along any second now.

L chuckled half-heartedly. "Nothing you can help us with, old man."

"You'd be surprised."

They exchanged awkward and confused glances.

"Well…" Wendy started. "Our engine here broke down on us, and we need to get back into the race or we'll lose." She explained flatly.

"Broke down, eh? Well, let me see."

The figure then tossed the bare pole right into the water and slowly turned around, standing up and wobbling briefly as the tiny boat rocked under its weight. The collar of the coat and the brim of the hat were both pulled over its face so much, they couldn't see anything. But the figure could apparently see just fine.

"Hmm…"

It wobbled again in the boat.

"Aha! I think I see the problem now! Hang on; I'll be over in a jiffy!"

It sat down again, grabbing the two small oars, and started frantically paddling over to their boat. It was barely three feet, but it took the figure at least a whole minute to even turn around.

Mr. L rolled his eyes, and then leaned over to Wario and whispered, "This is crazy. How can an old coot in a wooden boat that doesn't even have a motor possibly know anything about outboard motors?"

"Like I said, you'd be surprised, laddy."

Mr. L was caught off-guard by the fact that the figure actually heard him, and remained silent as the figure finally made it.

The figure stumbled briefly, then clambered aboard their boat. It walked over to the engine, kneeled down, and leaned in close to inspect it.

"Hmm…Hmm…Mm-hm. Hmmmmmmm…"

Then, without another word, it stood up and walked back over to the side. It leaned over into its own boat and fumbled around in the loose objects for a moment.

"I've seen this before." It reported. "And I know just what it needs. Ah, here it is."

It leaned back up, a giant wrench in hand. It turned around and started back over to the engine.

"You think you can fix it?" Wendy asked nervously.

"Of course I can."

It stopped just in front of the engine, holding the wrench delicately in both hands as it started to kneel down. "Carefully…easy…"

Then, without warning, it raised the wrench high above its head, leaning back far before it brought the wrench down on the engine with a mighty SLAM!

"Are you crazy?" Mr. L cried out.

But, before he could say anything else, the engine sputtered, and then roared to life, leaving all members of Team Victory II wide-eyed.

"Oh." Mr. L said quietly. "Wow. Um…thanks, I guess?"

"Like I said, laddy." It said, turning to him. "Don't be deceived by appearances."

"I get it now, sir."

"Good." It started to turn around. "Oh, and one more thing…"

Then, suddenly, it flung the wrench away, flying through the air before it landed in the water with a loud and quick splunk! The figure then grabbed its own yellow coat with one hand, and the hat with the other, and ripped them both off, sending the discarded yellow garments fluttering away in opposite directions.

Then, in a clear, young, and feminine voice, she finished. "It's ma'am to you."

The four teens in the boat were absolutely stunned at the sight of the familiar redheaded teen.

"CHYNA?"


	7. How do You Spell Mystic ? Part 2

"CHYNA?"

"Yep, it's me! In the flesh! Right in front of you! Right now!"

"But…how?" Wario asked, still stupefied at the sight of her.

"Yeah! Last time we saw you, you were tumbling into the Pacific Ocean with Tanooki!" Wendy reminded her.

"Which reminds me; what happened to Tan-?" Rain started, with a nervous, almost anxious look on her face as she started to ask the question. But she was interrupted suddenly when Chyna continued anyway.

"Hey, I was lost at sea once for nearly eight days after my uncle-in-law's private yacht went down. I had to survive on ice cubes and one can of Red Bull the whole time! I learned how to fish with my teeth, and how to float on my back for several hours to conserve energy!"

"So…you made it to shore?" Wendy asked.

"But what about-?"

"Yep! Firelulu wasn't that far behind us. I eventually managed to make it back here to the States, and I figured I'd return to my home here in the Luminous Forest!"

"You live in the Mystic Kingdom?" Wario asked incredulously.

"Well…anywhere in the good ol' US of A is my home! I'm what you would call a tumbleweed that just goes wherever the wind takes me!"

"More like poison ivy that won't go away." Mr. L muttered.

Just then, they heard a loud chopping sound above them. The five turned and looked up to see the red helicopter circling overhead. Carl was in the pilot's seat, Chef Isabelle beside him.

"What? What is this!" Isabelle shouted on the bullhorn from above. He then tossed down a rope ladder and slid right down onto their boat, causing it to dip to one side suddenly under his added weight, nearly sending the five teens stumbling to the deck.

"What are you doing back, Daughter of Hitchcock? You were officially eliminated!"

"Uh, technically speaking, I was locked in the cargo hold by that no-good redheaded jerk Blayke, and then happened to be knocked off just after I got out when Tanooki fell out after he was officially eliminated. Not me, no."

"See, about that…whatever happened to Tanooki after-?"

"See, I was just an added bonus elimination that day. I wasn't voted out, I didn't quit, and I didn't lose the challenge. So, technically, I'm still in the game and am now returning from being AWOL."

Isabelle sighed heavily, putting a hand on his forehead. "Well, you are one of the newbies, and you seem to be a good ratings magnet…"

"So, do you want this to go all day? 'Cause I once engaged in a heated verbal debate with a congressman that lasted for almost 18 hours. I won after that guy finally peed his pants because he couldn't hold it in any longer."

"Alright, fine! You can return from your 'AWOL-ness.' But you go on this team; they're down the most compared to the other teams."

"Thank you, Isabelle!" An exasperated Mr. L exclaimed as he tossed his arms up. "Finally you do something good for us for a change!"

With a glare back at Mr. L, Isabelle continued. "So, uh, whatever. Just get on with whatever ya'll were doing."

And with that, she stretched a hand up and grabbed onto the rope ladder. But as she stretched, her eyes widened and she quickly placed her other hand on her back.

"Ah! My back! My back…"

She mumbled to herself discontentedly as the helicopter pulled up, dragging him up with the ladder as it soared off north up the river.

"Well, you heard the man; let's go!" Chyna enthusiastically cheered with a fist pump.

"Yeah! I'm all for that!" Wario agreed, doing a similar fist pump.

"For once, I agree with the Psychopath. Let's get going." Mr. L turned around to grab the wheel once again, starting up the engine.

"Wait. But what about your boat, Chyna?"

"My boat?"

The five teens turned around to the spot where the old, beaten-up fishing boat had been moments earlier. It was gone.

The four original teammates all slowly let their gazes return to the redhead, who simply grinned evilly in return.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Mr. L** – "Daughter of Hitchcock" isn't enough to describe that girl. She's more like the Kin of Michael Myers or something! But hey, as long as it's another teammate to help even out our odds…I'll take it.

 **Wario** – It's cool to have a new teammate and all, but…(leans in close to the camera and whispers)…that girl freaks me out. A lot.

 **Rain** – Why wouldn't anyone listen to me? Tanooki! I hope you're out there listening right now! Because, if you are, then that means that you are alive and can hear me! I know that you survived too…right? OH, TANOOKI! I MISS YOU!

 **Chyna** – I honestly wasn't expecting to run into this show again – OK, for the show to run into me again – but if it gives me another shot at the moolah, then who am I to argue against it? But I can't help thinking that I was in the middle of something when they found me – or, I found them. Something important…

"Enough of this time-wasting chit-chat!" Mr. L yelled out. "Let's just get going before Team Sahara catches up to us! If we can get far away enough, they won't see our trail and might go right!"

And with that, Mr. L started up the engine and sped off, racing through the waters once again towards Aqua Road.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"Ugh! This is taking forever!" Isabel complained once again. "It's too darn humid out here! Can't you go any faster?"

"Look, I think we've gone far enough." Blayke declared. "They've clearly fallen way behind. Besides, I don't want to burn out our engine the way they did."

"How much farther to Louvre Road, or whatever it is?" Susan asked.

"Well, first of all, the Louvre is a museum in Bubblaine. Our destination is Aqua Road."

"Isn't that the name of some guy over on the other team?"

By this point, Blayke already had a faint red spot on his forehead from the numerous facepalms.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – Sure. The one time she actually remembers someone's name, and it's a guy on the other team! Maybe Madison was on to something…that girl could be a bit of a loose cannon. A blabbermouth. I might have to deal with her in the only way possible…

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"What? Say that again, you harpy!"

"OK, I'll say it again; who cares about porpoises?"

"How can you say that? Porpoises are so cute and friendly and smart…"

"There's over a billion of them! They're not 'endangered,' they're just overrated! And if they're so smart, why don't they just evade fishermen's nets?"

"Guys…?"

"They're not that smart! Even dolphins can't be a Stephen Hawking!"

"All I'm saying is that they're overrated and overprotected. It shouldn't be a crime to kill an animal."

"Uh, guys?"

"Oh, no you di'in't! That is it!"

"What? What are you gonna do? Call the birds of the air to poop on me? Call the fish in this river to jump up and hit me in the face?"

"…Uh, girls?"

"I don't need to call on a fish for that!"

"Oh, bring it!"

Pauline shook her head as he tried unsuccessfully to plug her ears. Her girlfriend and Katelyn had been going at it now for almost two hours. And now, here he was, at a fork in the river, and he couldn't get their opinions on which way they should go.

Pauline, in desperation, turned to Logan and Mona. Both were sitting down against the gunwale and watching the heated argument in fascination.

Pauline then looked over at Iggy, who had his head hanging over the side as he vomited into the water again. Whether or not it was from the seasickness, or some of the disgusting facts Katelyn had told them about sharks' mating seasons a few minutes ago, Pauline didn't know.

She slowly turned back around to face the fork ahead of their boat. She looked back and forth between the left and the right. She hadn't studied a map of the Mystic Kingdom recently, she couldn't call Isabelle for help (knowing that she likely wouldn't help her anyway), and she didn't dare try to raise her voice over the voices of the angry girls.

She turned back one last time at her five teammates.

Then she grabbed the wheel and slowly started to turn to the right.

"…Aren't there some sharks you can call on to attack me?"

"Don't be stupid; there are no sharks in the Luminous Forest River! Sharks cannot live in fresh water!"

"Ha! You're wrong there, Anna-mal!" Rosalina taunted. "Carcharhinus leucas – AKA, the Bull Shark – has been known to prosper in fresh water!"

"Well, OK, but that's just one! And there hasn't been a serious attack in fresh water anywhere in this region since 1916! Who's the stupid one now?"

Suddenly, there was a jolt in the boat that shook all six of its occupants and sent them tumbling to the deck.

"Whoa!"

"What the heck was that?"

Pauline, who barely managed to stay standing by clinging to the wheel, regained his footing and slowed down the engine. He did a quick 360 of their surrounding area, but saw nothing.

"I don't know…It was so quick. Just a quick slam."

Katelyn slowly pulled herself up by grabbing onto the gunwale, and looked out into the water. She scanned the murky surface for a moment, then saw something.

"Hey, guys! I-I see a shape down there!"

Logan, Rosalina, and Pauline all quickly moved over to the port side where Katelyn was and peered into the water, while Iggy and Mona curled up in fetal positions on the deck.

"Where, eh?"

"I…it was right there! It was a large, gray shape! It flickered away into the murk!"

"Well, what was it?" Logan asked.

"Yeah; you're the animal expert." Rosalina added snidely.

"I…I think I might know. But it can't be. There's no way it could be. It's impossible."

"What?"

Just then, they all heard a feminine scream behind them. The four swiveled around quickly in the direction of the other two teammates.

"What? What is it, Mona?" Logan asked nervously.

But Mona simply gave them a blank stare.

"Uh, that wasn't me."

"Huh?"

She then jerked a thumb over to Iggy, who was kneeling at the transom of the boat. He had his hands on his cheeks, and his mouth wide open.

Pauline and Logan shook their heads, while Katelyn was unfazed and looked even more concerned.

"Iggy, what is it?"

"LOOK!"

He pointed out into the water behind them.

All five heads followed his finger's direction, and were absolutely horrified at what they saw.

A fin.

A large, thick, dark gray dorsal fin, slicing through the water towards them from a distance.

"No…freakin'…way."

"What was that you said about Bull Sharks and fresh water, Rosalina?" Logan asked nervously.

"It can't be!" Katelyn quickly stated. "I mean, sure it's true about Bull Sharks and fresh water…but they never come this far up-river! And look at that fin! It's huge!"

"I hate to say it, but she's right. A fin that big can only mean that the shark itself is at least twenty-five to thirty feet long."

"I guess we're gonna need a bigger boat." Iggy muttered.

"Let's get out of here!"

Pauline turned around and scrambled back to the wheel, hitting the throttle again.

"Go, Pauline, go!" Rosalina screamed.

The boat sped off, putting some distance between them and the fin. However, the fin noticeably started gaining speed once it realized that they were speeding up.

"It's going faster! Keep going!"

"But I don't want to blow out the engine…"

"Just go!" Mona screamed at Pauline.

Pauline slowly put more pressure on it, and their speed increased. All the while, the incredibly large fin followed them, racing along impossibly fast…

* * *

 **Later** …

"OK, we've got about an hour left until we reach Aqua Road, according to Toadette's phone update." Blayke reported.

"This is great!" Skyler eagerly cheered. "We're totally ahead of the other two teams, we don't have that much farther to go, and we haven't hit a single speed bump along the way!"

Suddenly, there was a terrific boom alongside them. By the time they turned to face it, all they saw was a massive geyser of water shooting up next to them, towering at least 15 feet above the surface.

"What the heck was that?" Isabel screamed in terror.

Just then, another explosion went off on their right side, sending another jet of water into the air. This time, some of the water fell back down and soaked several members of the team.

"Augh! My hair!" Isabel screeched again.

"What's going on here?" Susan screamed.

* * *

 **Meanwhile** …

As the helicopter hovered high above the ground, its two occupants looked down at the unfortunate boat on the river. Isabelle held a small, black box in her hands, and was repeatedly pressing a small red button on it from time to time.

"Hee, hee, hee!" Isabelle giggled. "Man, I am so glad that we managed to convince the governor to block off this section of the river so that we could lay down our mines. Now this is fun!" She pressed the button once more, setting off another explosion below.

Sitting in the helicopter alongside her, Carl grinned. "I'm sure it is, sir. By the way, where did you get the idea for mines in the river?"

"Oh, you know, from that TV show?"

"Which show, sir?"

"That one show with the kid with yellow hair, and his scientist dad, and the Indian kid, and the little dog…"

"That show?"

"Yeah? What of it?"

"Well, sir, that show aired back in the 60's."

"What? That's ridiculous! I saw it on the tube just the other day!"

"That must've been on the 'Golden Oldies' Channel,' sir. Nothing but old shows 24 hours a day."

"What? NO! I ain't old! I am not old!"

"If I may give a more younger-generation suggestion, sir, why don't you make them do that musical number now?"

"That…that's a good idea! I'll do that right now!"

Isabelle then reached over and grabbed the speaker and detached it from its hook, its long cord bouncing as she yanked it out and held it to her mouth, pressing the button on the side.

"Alright, kiddies! I feel that you've gone long enough without doing a very important something!"

"NO!" Mr. L yelled back on Team Victory II's boat. "You have got to be kidding!"

"I kid you not, kid. 'Cause only kids kid, and I'm not a kid, let alone a kid who kids. Got it, kid?"

"OK, shut up!"

"No, you shut up! You will once you hear this!"

Then, on all three of the boats' speakers, came the all-too familiar sound: Ding-ding!

"Now start singing!"

* * *

 **''Musical Number** – **The Luminous Forest River's Not For Me''**

'' **All** **members of Team Madison:** The Luminous Forest River's Not For Me!''

 **''Blayke:** The bombs''

'' **Skyler** : The rocks''

'' **Isabel** : The other boats, there's obstacles galore''

''The danger here is to great to bear, I can't take it anymore!''

'' **All** **members of Team Sahara:** The Luminous Forest River's Not For Me!''

'' **Rosalina** : This girl's babbling (points at Katelyn), this guy's falling (points at Iggy)''

''I am on my last nerve!''

''If that shark does catch up to us, then they'll get what they deserve!''

'' **All** **members of Team Victory** **II** : The Luminous Forest River's Not For Me!''

'' **Mr. L** : We blew out our engine, we've fallen behind, we cannot afford to lose!''

''If we don't get back in first class again, I'm gonna blow a fuse!''

'' **All** : The Luminous Forest River's Not For Me!''

''We're racing along without a break, our patience is wearing thin!''

''If not for two million dollars at stake, we'd all just up and give in!''

''The Luminous Forest River's Not For Me! The Luminous Forest River's Not For Me! The Luminous Forest River's…Not…For…Meeeeeeeeee! Yeah!''

* * *

"Very good. Now get on with it, punks! Isabelle out."

After replacing the speaker, Isabelle turned to Carl.

"So, you still think I'm old?"

"Quite frankly, sir, I do."

"Well, then. I'll prove to you that I ain't old!" Isabelle thought nervously for a moment, her eyes darting around the inside of the helicopter. Her eyes landed on the steering mechanism.

"Well, if I was old, could I do this?"

She then reached over in front of Carl and took hold of the wheel, startling the intern. She then pulled as hard as she could and jerked it back, suddenly braking the helicopter's acceleration and causing it to bank up sharply into the air. Soon, it was pointing straight up, and starting to turn upside-down.

"I learned how to do this in Saskatchewan!"

"AH! Sir! I really don't think that-."

But it was too late. The helicopter was already upside-down in mid air, and Carl started screaming in terror.

"Man! I feel young already!"

Just then, she started to feel a splitting pain in her head.

"Doh! My head!" She took one hand off the wheel to grab her aching temple, and thus lost concentration of controlling the chopper.

It started to fall straight down, tilting a little and falling at an angle.

Both of them were screaming hysterically as it started to fall, and both flew up and hit the ceiling from the acceleration of its fall.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

"Look, over there!" Blayke shouted to his team as he raised a finger and pointed it straight ahead. "Up ahead! I see buildings!"

"Is there a mall?" Isabel asked quickly.

"I see several highways…and a bridge…"

At this point, there was much more to see than what Blayke was describing. There were clusters of buildings, as well as flocks of people on both sides of the river, on the bridge, among the buildings. Several were on small pleasure boats cruising up and down the river. Some took notice of the boat with five teens in it, moving at an unbelievably fast pace, and raised their cameras.

And then they saw it. Before Blayke himself could point it out, the massive, towering, silver steel structure rose sharply from behind a bridge, gleaming in the midday sun.

"The Aqua Road's Myriad." Blayke gasped in awe. "It's so…beautiful."

"Yeah, yeah! Stuff it and speed up! We have to get there first!" Isabel reminded him loudly as she leaned in close.

"Chill out, Princess. We're way ahead of the other teams. The last thing we need to worry about is-."

"There they are!"

Blayke and the four girls all turned around sharply to see an all-too familiar craft approaching from behind. There were four familiar faces in it, all glaring at them.

"It's Team Victory II!" Susan shouted, earning several brief, dumbfounded looks from her teammates once again.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – (Face in one hand once again) Ugh…I will never understand that girl. What, does she have selective stupidity or something?

* * *

"Wait! Why are there five of them?" Skyler asked no one in particular.

Blayke squinted harder as the boat approached. To his horror, he saw that, sure enough, Skyler was right; there was a new fifth face in the boat. And, even before he saw the face, he recognized the blonde hair, blowing in the wind.

"No…way."

"Come on, L! Faster, faster!" The psychotic teen cheered enthusiastically.

"I'm going at top speed!"

The boat was shooting through the water, almost like a torpedo, as it zeroed in on them.

"Edward! They're gaining on us! Do something!"

"I'm about to! Hang on!"

Blayke gunned it, instantly accelerating and matching the rival team's boat. But Team Victory II had managed to close a great amount of distance, and was almost literally right on their tail.

"Come on! COME ON! FASTER!" Mr. L yelled, pounding his fists against the wheel as he pushed the throttle harder.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Wario asked nervously.

"Here, let me try!" Chyna said. She reached behind her and pulled out a wrench, just like the last one.

"Where the heck did you get that?" Rain asked through a spray of water on all sides. "Didn't you toss that thing into the water?"

"No time for questions! Just hang on!" Chyna yelled. She then put the wrench in between her teeth and scrambled over to the controls, standing next to Mr. L.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he gripped the wheel with white knuckles.

She pulled the wrench from her teeth and grinned evilly. "Ah! I see the solution!"

She then raised the wrench high above her head.

"NO!"

Mr. L dove out of the way just before she brought the wrench down, grabbing the acceleration lever and thrusting forward with all her might, pushing it even harder against the full blast position.

She leaned back, then threw herself forward, putting all of her weight into the wrench as she heaved against the lever again.

This time, it snapped right off.

Before anyone could snap at her, the boat shot forward like a rocket, sending all of them flying backwards and hanging onto the gunwale for dear life. Chyna herself almost flew right out of the boat, had it not been for Wedy reaching out at the last minute to grab her wrist. Chyna, meanwhile, was cheering and laughing maniacally as she hung suspended over the edge of the boat, flapping in the air like a flag.

The members of Team Madison could only watch as the other vessel suddenly shot right past them, creating a massive wave of a wake that cascaded up over them, swooping over them completely and drenching them.

The boat rocketed across the river, half of its hull not even on the water, before it hit the shore. It was instantly launched into the air, soaring over the heads of several stunned spectators, heading straight for the Arch.

And then it hit the ground, a loud and sickening grinding of metal screeching across the area as it hit and slid along the ground, sparks and pieces of debris flying. All five occupants were hanging onto it as it slid along, finally coming to rest just at the base of the magnificent Arch.

All members of Team Victory II might as well have been knocked out, as they were hanging halfway over the sides of the boat, eyes half-closed, mouths half-open, scraped and bruised. Only one member took notice of their new location, and instantly perked up.

"We're…here? We're here! We're here! Hey, you lazy sloths, wake up! We're right at the Arch!"

Mr. L instantly grabbed Wendy and Chyna, the two teammates nearest to him, and started shaking them.

"Wake up! We're at the Arch! Get up and touch the base before the other team gets here!"

"Huh…wha?" Wario muttered.

"Get up, dude! Get up! We have to win now!"

"Win? Tell me, Santa…if we win…do we get…ice cream?"

"Yes, yes we do!" Mr. L yelled, clearly losing his patience.

"Oh, goody! Ice-y cream." Wario slowly staggered to his feet and started to lift himself over the side, only to fall out and slam to the ground. His left hand fluttered down and hit the base.

"That's one! Come on, ladies, get up!"

"L? What happened?"

"It's not about what happened, it's about what's going to happen! Get up, Rain! NOW!"

He then grabbed Rain and started to drag her to the side. He helped her up over the side and laid her down against the base of the Arch.

He then turned back and started to grab Chyna's wrist.

Her eyes flew open, and a cheesy grin appeared on her face. She lashed out and grabbed his own wrist with both hands, and proceeded to flip him up over the side and slam him down against the metal base.

"OW! What was that for, you freak?" Mr. L groaned from below.

With a giggle, she replied, "No one touches me, alright. Except for my parole officer, my mom, and any of my inanimate objects, OK? But if it's lifting people that you need, then I'm the man – er, girl – for the job! This one time, I flipped a sumo wrestler in Stormkyo because-."

Mr. L cracked his head to the side just in time to see Team Madison's boat finally beach on the shore. He could faintly see the redheaded boy Blayke jump out and start to help his female teammates out, and together, the five of them started dashing across the grass towards the Arch.

Mr. L quickly turned back to her. "OK, no time to talk, just grab Wendy and get her down here!"

"Aye-aye, captain! One brainy girl coming up! Chyna, down."

Chyna then leaned over and grabbed a moaning Wendy by her shoulders. She then turned and leapt out of the boat, pulling Wendy with her. She stood next to the base and eased up her grip on the barely-conscious Wendy. She placed one of her own hands on the metal, then grabbed Wendy's wrist with the other and placed it on the base as well.

"YES! We touched the base first! We win!" Mr. L declared enthusiastically, just as the five members of Team Madison came running up.

"Awwwww, nooooooo!" Isabel moaned in agony, collapsing to her knees. "I wanted to go in first-class!"

"Argh!" Blayke groaned in fury, stomping his foot. He glared daggers at Mr. L, who shrugged and grinned back at him. His gaze then moved to Chyna, who responded with an even harder glare that made the redhead briefly shiver before she turned the other cheek.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – Great. Just great. Not only did we lose…again, but now that psycho freak is back! She's surely already spilled the beans about me being "evil." This presents a whole new challenge for me…

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Chyna–** Yeah, that Blayke kid is so going to pay for what he did to me. Maybe not soon…but eventually. You'll see. And so will he.

* * *

Just then, they heard a chopping above them. The ten teens all looked up to see the familiar small, red helicopter circling overhead. It slowly touched down on the grass nearby, sending a wave of wind at them. Most of them raised an arm to cover their eyes, and the grass was blowing in ripples beneath their feet.

Chef Isabelle stumbled out of the helicopter, noticeably dazed and holding her head with one hand.

"Ohhhh…"

"Isabelle, sir…" Carl muttered from the pilot's seat. "Please, from now on, let me fly this thing."

"But…I flew it all the time in season one!"

"Yes, I know. But that was back then. When you were younger."

"I'm telling ya, I ain't…Ah, forget it. What's the point?"

"Hey! Cut the banter, Isabella! You need to declare us as the winners now!" Mr. L urged.

Isabelle spun around to face the impatient teen. "Do I, now?"

"Yes, you do. After all, you're the new host now. It's your job to state the obvious."

Isabelle sighed deeply. "Fine. It appears that we have our winners of the third challenge: Team Victory II. Yay."

Mr. L instantly burst into a fit of cheering once again, doing fist pumps and hip thrusts, while his teammates all lied on the ground in exhaustion.

"Enjoy your victory…jerk." Isabelle muttered. She then turned to Team Madison. "Now, I'm sorry to say this, but your team has lost…sort of."

"Huh?" Susan asked.

"It appears that the other team is nowhere to be found. And I think it's pretty obvious to say that they ain't gonna be catching up any time soon. So it's pretty safe for me to declare you, Team Madison, as our second place team today. You do not have to face elimination tonight!"

"Yes!" Skyler cheered. "Isn't that great, Blayke?"

"Super." He muttered.

"What good is staying if we can't stay first class?" Isabelle whined.

"Apparently, one of the members of that unlucky team is going to go by that standard tonight, when they choose who to boot. The plane'll be landing in the nearby airport soon. I'll take ya'll back there now." He turned back to the helicopter. "Carl, you follow the tracking device in their boat and find out where the heck those kids went."

"Yes, sir."

Carl then reached out and closed the door left open by Isabelle before he slowly took off again.

* * *

 **''Later…''**

"Faster, Pauline! Come on!"

"Rosalina…he's been chasing us for over an hour now, eh!"

"That is one persistent shark!" Mona stated.

"It doesn't seem to be going any slower or any faster…it's just…following us." Katelyn observed.

"So? What does that mean?" Rosalina asked, clearly annoyed and frightened at the same time.

"It means that something's not right here…"

Just then, they heard a loud motor and chopping sound above them. They all looked up just in time to see a familiar red object suddenly fly in from downriver and hover over them.

"Hey! Isn't that Isabelle's helicopter?" Logan asked.

"Yeah, it is!" Pauline replied. "HEY! DOWN HERE!" She yelled out.

All the other members of Team Sahara followed suit, waving their arms in the air and shouting to catch the helicopter's attention.

Much to their happiness, the chopper slowly began to descend until it was just over them.

"Hello down there, kids! This is Carl!" He yelled down through the bullhorn. "Remember? The intern from last week?"

"Yes! We remember!" Rosalina called back. "Just help us and do something to get rid of that shark!"

"What shark?" He then looked back and saw the dorsal fin pursuing them. "Oh, that?" He called back down. He then reached under the seat and pulled out a small remote control device with an antenna sticking out. He pressed a button that had the word "Off" underneath it.

The kids watched in mute amazement and shock as the fin's speed slowly started to decrease. The wake it was creating started to vanish and diminish, until, finally, the fin sat perfectly still in the water.

"What the…?"

Then the fin rose straight up out of the water. Almost immediately, the fin cut off. Beneath the gray triangle, where they expected to see the mass of the shark's body, there was simply a few black rods. It rose higher, and they saw the full shape: A long, hollowed-out, torpedo-shaped mass of black steel beams, with only the one fin on top and a motor in the back.

"Yeah…that was another booby-trap that Isabelle had us lay down, for any team that chose to go the wrong way."

While the contestants were stunned at the revelation of the fake shark, the last three words in Carl's sentence snapped that shock and brought in even more confusion.

"THE WRONG WAY?" All six of them simultaneously yelled back.

"Yep. If you turned right at the fork, then you went the wrong way. Aqua Road is to the left. Both of the other teams went left, and as of now, have made it to the Arch. So, sorry; you guys came in last place and will have to eliminate someone tonight!"

A series of groans and yells of "Come on!" arose from the team.

"Sorry." Carl shrugged, sounding more genuine in his apology than Isabelle would have. "Just head on back to the fork, turn left, and head on up to Aqua Road. You can't miss it. I'll follow you there. Once you arrive, I'll take you to the airport where the Jet is."

As Pauline slowly got back to the wheel and started to turn around, she could only imagine how the elimination was going to go. She slowly turned around and looked at several of his teammates.

Already, Rosalina and Katelyn were glaring daggers at each other.

The six members of Team Sahara sat on the bleachers in the elimination area. Pauline and Rosalina sat next to each other, in the front row. Katelyn and Iggy sat at the top of the bleachers, opposite Pauline and Rosalina. And Logan and Mona sat in the middle, caught between the two pairs of glares as Isabelle walked onto the stage.

"Alright, worms! Here's the deal: There are six of you, but only five of these deeeee-licious Barf Bags filled to the brim with nearly-expired peanuts. Each of ya'll will head on down to the Lavatory, one at a time, where you'll find six passports and a big, red stamper. Stamp the passport of who you want to see kicked off of this Jet. And whoever does not receive a Barf Bag must put on this parachute, jump out, never come back, and yada-yada. So, let's get to it. Animal Lover, you're up first!"

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Katelyn** – That Perfectionist Rosalina is so darn annoying! I could not believe her! I was appalled at her total disrespect for the Animal Kingdom! (Grabs the stamper and raises it high into the air; pauses for a long moment)

 **Rosalina** – As if it wasn't obvious enough…(roughly stamps Katelyn's passport)…not only is she annoying and damaging to your ears and brain, but she contributed to our loss by jumping in to save that pathetic little geek. She has to go. Now.

 **Iggy** – (Grabs the stamper, nervously glances around the Confessional, then quickly stamps Katelyn's passport) I'll bet you're probably shocked. Yeah, I know. (Leans in close and whispers) But that girl freaks me out. A lot.

 **Pauline** – Rosie kept telling me that it has to be Katelyn. And I can see that. I mean, not only is she annoying and all, but she was ready to start a fight with my girlfriend. Plus, she jumped out of our boat back in Luminous Forest. (Shakes her head) But… (grabs the stamper and stamps Isaiah's passport) If it weren't for Iggy falling out in the first place, she wouldn't have had to jump in after him. Plus, he still freaks me out. A lot.

* * *

Chef Isabelle was leaning on the pedestal with the five Barf Bags, drumming his fingers on its surface impatiently, until Carl finally approached and held out the six passports.

"And we have our results! When I call your name, you get a Barf Bag and are safe. The first ones go to…Logan and Mona."

Both Louis and Nicole cheered briefly, hugging each other before they each grabbed a Barf Bag.

"Next, is…"

Rosalina glanced at Pauline nervously, then turned back to Katelyn. The Animal Lover sneered at her.

"…Rosalina."

The sneer instantly turned to an expression of shock as Rosalina grinned back smugly, receiving her Barf Bag.

"Only three are left. The next one that I will call is…"

Iggy was nervously biting his nails. Katelyn was fiddling with nervously with the fox ears on her head. Pauline was casually shifting in her seat.

"…Iggy."

"YAY!" Katelyn cheered and swooped Isaiah up in a bear hug.

"Um…Katelyn? You know that he called my name, right?"

"I know!"

"Ugh…OW!" Iggy suddenly yelped when the Bag hit him in the face, due to him being unable to catch it with his arms pinned down.

"And now, our bottom two."

Katelyn perked up and, realizing her own situation, let go of Iggy. She glanced over at Pauline, who didn't turn back to face her. She was shaking in her seat. Her calm demeanor that he had before Iggy received his Barf Bag was completely gone.

"Katelyn and John…this here's the final Barf Bag. And it goes to…"

"…Katelyn!"

"What? NO!" Rosalina screamed in outrage. She glanced back at Katelyn, who caught her Barf Bag in delight. "This is absurd! This can't be! You guys voted out Pauline?"

"Well, no offense, Rosalina…" Logan started nervously. "She did kind of lose the game for us."

"What are you talking about, Romeo?"

"He chose to go right at the fork. That's kind of how we lost."

"We were already about to lose! It's because of those two geeks! You guys are fools! You…"

"Rosie!"

Rosalina spun around angrily to face who had called her name, only to see that it was Pauline.

"Rosalina, it's alright. And he's right. I did choose to go right."

"But Pauline, it wasn't all your fault…"

"It's OK. I kinda figured that my time to go would come soon. After all, I won the last season, didn't I? It's someone else's turn now. Like you. I know that you can go far on your own, eh. I'll be watching and rooting for you back…er, well, wherever I'm from."

As a single tear escaped her eye, Rosalina cracked a weak smile. "Thanks, Pauline."

They embraced, holding each other tightly for a long time.

"Ugh!" Isabelle groaned from over on the stage. "Is every elimination going to go like this one? Come on! We don't have enough time for all of this moochy-smoochy-poochy love fest-ness!"

Isabelle stormed off of the stage, grabbed Pauline by the back of her dress, and yanked her right out of Rosalina' arms. As she threw her back, she stuffed the parachute into her arms right before she flew out the door. Her scream of sudden terror and shock could be heard by all, but grew fainter and fainter as she fell.

"Well. Glad that's taken care of!" Isabelle proudly declared. She quickly looked down at her watch. "And with almost one minute to spare! So, how will Pauline's elimination affect the already-boiling tension in Team Sahara? How will Chyna's return aid – or ruin – Team Victory II? And, most importantly, who will bite the dust next? Find out next time, on Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

* * *

 **Remaining Voting Confessionals**

 **Logan** – Yeah, Iggy and Katelyn did really screw us up early on…but it was John who made us go to the right and instantly lose any chance of winning in the first place. And besides that, he is a strong competitor. You know, winner of the one season and all that. (Stamps Pauline's passport). Sorry.

 **Mona** – Yeah…Pauline's a nice guy and all, but he did lose the challenge for us in the end. Sorry, Pauline. (Stamps Pauline's passport).

 **Katelyn** – (Hand still holding the stamper high in the air; she sighs) But… (brings it down on Pauline's passport) …While Rosalina's as annoying as heck, that boyfriend of hers is always backing her up. Plus, he's already being a little mean to Iggy. Oh, yeah; he also totally made us lose today.

* * *

 **Voting Results**

 **Iggy** – Katelyn

 **Rosalina** – Katelyn

 **Pauline** – Iggy

 **Logan** – Pauline

 **Mona** – Pauline

 **Katelyn** – Pauline

 **Total Votes**

 **Pauline** – 3

 **Katelyn** – 2

 **Iggy** – 1

* * *

 **Epilogue**

Miraculously, Pauline had managed to strap on her parachute while she was falling, and quickly deployed it. She looked up one last time at the Jet as it soared away into the night sky, leaving her behind. She hung her head and sighed.

Then, while her head was down, she noticed where she was about to land.

"What? No, no, NO!"

She frantically kicked and flailed, trying to make her parachute move in any way possible. No luck. She plunged straight into the frigid waters of the Luminous Forest River.

"Ack! No!"

She tried desperately to unhook the lines as the massive white parachute slowly fluttered down on top of her. She ripped one line off, only for her hand to be thrust between two more. She found herself caught, and the white cloth started to envelop her.

"NO! Someone help! Help m-."

The parachute landed in the water, the wetness instantly clinging to it and soaking it all up. It started to squeeze and tighten around Pauline. She tried to kick and get out of it, but it clung to him and started to tangle up even more. She began to lose her ability to stay above water…

Then, suddenly, she heard a ripping sound. She managed to turn to his left, and saw a massive spear puncture right through the wet parachute. Its jagged end then pulled back against the tear and split it open even more. Then it pulled out, and a hand reached in through the hole. Before he could react, the hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled him through the hole. He was amazed by the hand's strength as it lifted her whole body up and flung him down onto a solid, wet surface.

Her eyes widened for a moment, then he shook his head as he started to sit up. She saw the figure kneeling next to him, the spear in one hand. It was wearing a massive yellow poncho that completely covered its entire body, and a matching yellow hat that covered its head. It raised the spear high into the air again. Pauline cringed briefly, but then saw it come down on the remaining lines attached to him, severing them all.

Pauline looked around, and saw that he was now in a small, wooden fishing boat.

"Uh…thanks, eh."

"Not a problem at all, laddy." The figure replied. Its voice was gruff and thick, sounding a bit like both a man's and a woman's voice.

The figure stood up, tossing the spear aside, and grabbed the remaining lines dangling over the side. It heaved them all off the boat and into the water, where the fully-soaked parachute was slowly starting to sink.

"What might you be doing, parachutin' from the sky into the water?"

"Well, you see, it's a long story, eh."

"Oh, I've got plenty of time, I do."

"Well, I've actually gotta, you know, try to find a way to get home."

"Ah. Well, if ye be needing a place to stay until you can get on going, I can give ye the spare room in ma house. Just down the river there."

"Um…thanks?"

"Not a problem, at all, laddy."

The figure turned and bent down as it picked up two wooden oars nearby. As it did, Pauline caught a glimpse of blonde hair, flowing from beneath the hat.

"Um…what should I call you?"

"Oh, just call me Erika."

"Erika, eh? Huh…"

"What be yer name, girl?"

"Pauline."

"Ah. A fine name."

"Do I…know you from somewhere?"

The figure slowly turned around and looked at Pauline. In that moment, Pauline could see right between the collar of the poncho and the brim of the hat, and saw the face. It was a pale face, with two wide, excited eyes and a big, toothy grin. That grin was not one of regular happiness or excitement; it was one of insanity. One that he had seen only once before.

Pauline's eyes widened.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Chyna** – Ooooooohhhhhhhh, yeah! Now I remember that really important thing that I was in the middle of doing when the game came crawling back to me! I was helping my cousin Erika with fishing! See, my cousin, Erika, lives just along the Luminous Forest River. All of my other relatives say that I have her looks. I probably do, since we both look exactly the same. She was probably my closest living relative after I fell into the Pacific, so I just thought, "Hey, why not drop by and have a visit while I'm AWOL and travelling the world?" Ha, ha…yeah.

So, I was spending a couple weeks with her, fishing like she always does, and I borrowed one of her ponchos and one of her hats and one of her old fishing boats full of a bunch of her fishing gear, and that's what I was doing today when they ran into me! So, yeah. Erika, if you're watching this right now on that old 1950's TV you have back at your house, I just wanna say sorry for leaving without telling you where I was going.

Oh, and I almost forgot; it's a really freaky thing that Pauline happened to be the one who was eliminated tonight. I just really hope that sh didn't land in the water or anywhere near her house. You wanna know why? It's because…(leans in close and whispers to the camera)…my cousin Erika has a huge crush on Pauline! She thinks she's super cute! (leans back out) Yeah, and when my cousin finds a person that she has a crush on, she has a tendency to keep them hostage in her old boathouse for however long she wants. So, again, I just hope that you didn't do something stupid like land in the River, Pauline! OK, bye!


	8. Storm Stories Part 1

"Last time on Total Drama Mario World Tour: The Luminous Forest River. It was a long, wild, wet, and weird journey for our cast. The three teams had to race down the river in boats to Aqua Road. While Team Victory II and Team Not-Madison were at each others' throats, Team Sahara fell behind due to Napoleon fallin' overboard at the beginning…oh yeah, and Animal Lover jumped in after him to save him.

"The whole way, Season One Winner refused to slow down the boat, and blew out their engine. But they had a little help from a strange local, who was then revealed to be The Psycho American girl, back from her tumble into the Pacific. She then rejoined the game and joined their team, and even helped them get a sudden boost of speed that placed them at the finish line just before Team Madison, scoring their third victory in a row.

"All the while, Team Sahara had to endure the arguing of Animal Lover and Perfectionist, leading to Goth Girl Pauline, who was driving, to turn their boat down the wrong way when they came to the giant fork in the river. This resulted in him being booted from the game later that night.

"Will Team Victory II ever lose a challenge? How will Rosalina survive being on the same team as her new mortal enemy for another day? Find out, here, on Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

"MAN! I love winning!" Mr. L declared as he sipped down his fourth can of Dr. Pepper. "That will be all, Emily."

The flight attendant nodded and walked off. Mr. L then set the empty can on the seat next to him and raised his hand, snapping twice.

"Marco! A shoulder massage, pronto!"

Almost immediately, the burly, blonde intern with the unibrow stepped up and started giving Mr. L the massage he requested.

"Hey, can I have a massage, too?" Wario asked from across the way.

"Of course, my good man. Franco! You heard him!"

Just then, a second intern, the dark-skinned intern who was just as muscular as Marco and wore an outfit similar to his, swiftly strode over and began giving the larger contestant a shoulder massage as well.

"Aaaaaaah. THIS is the life." Mr. L declared.

"I couldn't agree more." Wario agreed.

Suddenly, there was a crashing behind them. Both Mr. L and Wario spun around to see Chyna behind the counter, having just smashed another expensive-looking bottle of champagne, and collecting the cap from it, holding it up next to her first bottle cap.

"Oh, look here, Jeffrey! I found you a new friend! We'll call him…Ray! And maybe I can find you a couple more, and give them new names, like William, and Johnson!"

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Mr. L** – Even with that weird psycho freak on our team now, I'm not going to drop my optimistic attitude. I mean, seriously! Things could NOT be working out better! We've won three times in a row! We've won every challenge to date! We are unbeatable!

 **Chef Isabelle** – Never say that, kid. You'll jinx yourself.

 **Mr. L** – You know I don't believe in that mumbo-jumbo, dude. It's all just a bunch of bologna.

 **Chef Isabelle** – Suit yourself.

* * *

Sitting in economy-class for the third straight week, Isabel had finally given up on complaining, and was now lying sideways on the ground underneath the wooden slat, curled into a fetal position and sucking her thumb. Occasionally, some of the others heard brief moans of "need…pampering. Need…luxury…," aside from gurgles and throaty moans.

But, on the side opposite the curled-up, drooling, disgraceful mess that was Isabel, there were deep, hard, bitter feelings on the other side. The tension was so thick that even Chef Isabelle wouldn't have been able to cut it.

Rosalina was sitting at the far end of the bench, away from the other four members. She had her head in her hands, even though she had long since finished sobbing. Now, the feelings of sorrow had long since been pushed to the back of her head, now replaced with a quiet, unyielding anger. She dared not look in the direction of two particular geeks on her team, knowing that her anger would only grow worse.

Literally caught in the middle, sitting between on one side of Katelyn and Iggy and one side of Rosalina, were Logan and Mona. Mona glanced at the brooding Rosalina, while Logan stole a side glance at Isaiah, twiddling his thumbs awkwardly, and Katelyn, who copied Iggy's movements.

Both sighed.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Rosalina** – I've refused to believe it. It's just…not real. I mean, Pauline was such a nice person and a strong player. And they voted him out! Argh! (smacks herself in the forehead) I cannot stand that animal-loving freak! It's all her fault! And Iggy! Both of them! I mean, I can tolerate Logan and Mona, but those two I can't. Not one bit. I mean, I'm the smartest person here now, and probably the sanest. As much as I'm against doing things that might make me look like a schemer, I have no choice: I'm gonna have to form an alliance with Logan and Mona to get rid of those two losers and avenge Pauline. Plus, it will undoubtedly help the team more to drop the dead weight.

 **Logan** – I just don't know. Let me tell you, that vote was tough. And I know that Rosalina probably hates us now, but that's the way the game is played. Personally, I was leaning towards Katelyn, too. But I'm thinking ahead. Pauline's already won a season, and we haven't. I just hope that voting out one of our strongest players doesn't come back to bite us.

 **Mona** – So I guess last week's vote pretty much split the team right in half. Now there's Team Iggy/Katelyn and Team Rosalina. And I'm gonna have to choose one! And I hate choosing sides! Well, at least I'm not the only one. I'm glad that Iggy is in the same position as me. Maybe, while he's making the decision for himself, he can help me decide, too.

On the other side, just a few feet from the still and tense half of economy-class, one person in particular was already fast at work, sitting in the thinking pose with his head resting on the back of his hand, bending forward, staring at the filthy floor as he was deep in thought.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – We barely lost last time, and I have a feeling we may not be so lucky this time. Even with Pauline gone on the other team, I still wouldn't get my hopes up. I'm pretty much the only good player on this team, both physically and strategically. Well, possibly besides Toadette. When she's told to do something – as long as it doesn't separate her from her phone – she does it, and does it pretty well. On the other side, I've got the female Tyler, the Prom Queen, and the new Lindsay. I'm not sure which is worse. Well, Skyler's been like a loyal dog to me since her sister left, so she's good to keep around for a vote. That leaves Isabel and Susan. Assuming we lose, that is.

* * *

"Alright, punks! Listen up!" Isabelle's voice called as the usual routine began again.

Logan leaned over to Mona and muttered, "I'll bet it won't be long before she runs out of names to call us."

Mona giggled.

"I SAID SHUT UP, WORMS!"

The sudden and loud response stunned everyone in economy-class, causing them all to jump briefly, with the sole exception of Logan.

Logan simply raised an eyebrow and replied, "No you didn't."

"What was that, Romeo?"

"You didn't say 'Shut up.' You said 'Listen up'."

"Same difference, you slug!"

Logan leaned close to Nicole once more. "That's three more." She giggled again.

"SHUT UP OR I'LL DECLARE YOU AUTOMATICALLY ELIMINATED, YOU LITTLE TROLL!"

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Logan** – "Troll?" OK, I'll give him that one.

* * *

"Now, as I was saying before our little playwright down here interrupted me, we're nearing our next destination. And I should warn you all now: The airport we're landing in is actually abandoned."

"What?" Skyler squeaked.

"Yeah. It's been empty for about seven years now. So, obviously, there's been no proper maintenance, and the runway may be a little…bumpy."

Almost as if synchronized, the ten occupants of economy class buckled in. Isabel crawled out from under the bench and strapped into her seat.

Up in first-class, Mr. L sighed. "Well, time to rejoin the rat race. Marco, that will be all for now."

"Uh, yeah. Same with you, Franco." Wario added to his own intern.

The two burly men nodded briefly, then walked away down the hall side-by-side.

"What do you think the challenge will be this time?" Wario asked nervously as he buckled in. "I mean, last week was pretty crazy. You know how many times I almost got seasick?"

"No, and I would prefer not to." Mr. L responded as he connected his own seatbelt. "As for your question, all I can say is that if it's suicidal or otherwise dangerous, we all know who to turn to."

As if on cue, there was a loud BANG! Mr. L turned in his seat, and Wario lifted his head up to look over L's seat.

One of the lamps on a nearby table had clanged to the floor, and the canvas cover was now covering the head of a wild blonde.

"Hey, look at me! I'm bright! HA! Get it?"

Mr. L and Wario, briefly stunned, looked away and looked back at each other.

"Point taken." Wario agreed.

Within about 15 minutes, the Jet landed in the airport. Despite what Isabelle had warned, the Jet actually had a relatively soft landing, with few bumps and jolts. When the cast exited the Jet and stood in a group before Chef Isabelle, most took a quick once-over of the airport. It was run down, dark, dirty, dilapidated, and looked like the kind of place where hobos would live.

"Dude, Isabelle. What was the big deal of telling us that we'd have a bumpy landing?" Wario asked immediately. "I didn't feel a thing."

"Yeah, same here." Iggy commented. "And we were in economy class!"

"Well, I couldn't resist the chance to get ya'll hyped up and thinking you weren't getting off without some sort of traumatic head injury." Isabelle then laughed at her own joke, unlike everyone else.

When Isabelle realized that no one else was laughing, she cleared her throat and continued.

"Well, anyway. Welcome to Stormkyo, Storm Kingdom…" Isabelle paused and swallowed. "…One of the Soleanna Kingdom."

"SOLEANNA! WOO!" Chyna cheered enthusiastically.

"Really?" Blayke asked. "This is the fourth location of the season, and our third time being in Soleanna! What is it with visiting Soleanna so much?"

Isabelle groaned, signaling his similar distaste of the situation. "I know, I know. It's not my decision. The producers say we're a little tight on the budget right now – still suffering from what happened at the end of last season – and we need to limit our travelling to the Kingdoms of Solenna for a while. And they consider the Kingdoms of Solenna more interesting than the Mushroom Kingdom. Can you believe that?"

"No." Blayke replied.

"At least someone else here is sane."

"So, Isabelle. What's the challenge today?" Katelyn asked.

"I was just about to get to that. Now, first off, the challenge is not taking place at this here airport. Now all of ya'll hop onto this trailer over here…" Isabelle gestured behind her, a little further down the dilapidated runway, to where a familiar white trailer with rows of seats, attached to a matching white golf cart, sat in wait. "…and we'll head off to our next challenge."

* * *

 **Lavatory** **Confessional**

 **Isabel** – I was glad that the challenge wasn't at that filthy airport! It looked like the kind of place that my uncle would live. He's one of the poor people.

* * *

So, within a few minutes, all 15 contestants had climbed aboard, with Isabelle getting in the golf cart. They slowly began to putter out of the airport, past the run-down buildings, and finally, off the cracked, bumpy runway. They instantly started riding more smoothly, riding along on soft, short grass, heading further out into the massive plain of nowhere that the airport sat in.

Looking back at the airport, Wendy shook her head. "I wonder why that airport was abandoned."

Luckily for Isabelle, none of the contestants caught her brief snicker after Wendy's unanswered question.

After a ride that lasted about an hour and a half, the cast arrived at their destination: The middle of nowhere. The airport was nothing more than a dark speck on the horizon behind them, and nothing else could be seen for miles around.

The one object that was near now was a massive trailer, sitting perfectly alone in the middle of the field. It was white, with several windows on it and a large green-and-white striped canvas over the door. It was pristine and shiny, obviously brand new.

"Now we are truly on our own. Deep in the southwestern corner of the state, far from any cities or any form of civilization, is where your next challenge is!"

"Wait…away from any form of malls?"

"Bingo, girl."

"NOOOOOO!" Isabel screamed.

"Now, as I was saying before Banshee here screamed: Your challenge today is going to be one of endurance. Rather than a mental challenge, a teamwork challenge, or even a deadly physical challenge, the concept of today's challenge is relatively simple. All you have to do is maintain some form of physical contact with this trailer.

There's no time limit. If at any time you take your entire body off of the trailer, you are out. Last person standing wins the challenge for their team. They win team immunity, and, as a bonus, the winning team will vote for one of their members to win an individual reward. That person will receive none other than the luxurious trailer itself, and will get to take it home at the end of the season, or whenever that person is eliminated from the game. Any questions?"

Logan raised a hand. "What about, er, the basic necessities? Food? Having to use the lavatory?"

"None of that. It wouldn't be much of an endurance challenge if we hand-fed you wimps and gave you a port-o-potty to use now, would it?"

"Could you possibly be any crueler?" Wendy asked.

"Wanna bet? You have 10 seconds to get in position."

The 15 teens scrambled over to the trailer to take up their respective positions, most of them quickly stretching and preparing for the challenge ahead.

"All right. On your mark…get set…"

Everyone had a hand on the trailer, except for Toadette, who instead had her butt against it as she leaned on it, preferring to use both hands to continue texting.

"This challenge is ON!"

There was no whistle, no starting gunshot, or anything. Just the slight sound of the breeze and the rustling of the short, brown grass as silence descended upon the plain.

After a few seconds, the silence was broken by Isabelle once more.

"It's too quiet out here, and the challenge has barely begun! I think we need to start this challenge off with a bang, if you know what I mean."

"OK, but can I please get some water to clear my thro-."

"NO!" Isabelle yelled back. "Now get started!"

"What can we sing about?" Rosalina asked.

"Just think of something and quit complaining! Now hurry it up, you slowpokes!"

"I've got it!" Wendy spoke up, right before…

''Ding-ding!''

* * *

 **Musical** **Number** – **Big** **Chef** **Dog**

'' **Wendy** : Big Chef Dog! Why must you be so darn cruel?''

'' **Blayke** : Big Chef Dog! Why do you always lose your cool?''

'' **Katelyn** : Well you ain't so big. You only act tough, and stuff.''

' **Mr. L** : Well you're torturing us, Chef Dog.''

''In these crazy tasks.''

'' **Isabel** : I want a drink of water, but you barely let me ask!''

'' **Iggy** : Big Chef Dog! Why must you be so darn cruel?''

'' **Mona** : You know you're not so big.''

'' **Everyone** : You only act tough, and stuff.''

''{Musical interlude; Logan playing the harmonica, with everyone else tapping their hands against the side of the trailer in unison to the rhythm}''

'' **Rain** : Big Chef Dog! Why must you be so darn cruel?''

'' **Everyone** : You know you're not so big.''

''You only act tough, and stuff.''

'' **Skyler** : Well, we really want a new host.''

''One that'll treat us right.''

''One who doesn't abuse us.''

''And listens to our plights!''

'' **Wario** : Big Chef Dog! Why must you be so darn cruel?''

'' **Everyone** : You really aren't so big.''

''You just act tough, and stuff.''

'' **Logan** : Well, we really want a new host.''

''One that'll treat us right.''

''One who doesn't abuse us.''

''And listens to our plights!''

'' **Rosalina** : Big Chef Dog! Why must you be so darn cruel?''

'' **Chyna** : You know you ain't so big.''

'' **Everyone** : You just act tough, and stuff.''

''You really ain't that big.''

''You just act tough…and stuff!''

''End Musical Number''

* * *

"How's that?" Wendy asked with a smug grin.

There was no response from the fuming host, whose eyebrows were furrowed hard, her teeth biting down hard on her lower lip, and her face seething red.

"You…little…"

"Think about it!" Logan interrupted. "You wouldn't want to reuse an old insult now, would you?"

"You..little…dwarf."

"…'dwarf'?"

"THAT'S IT! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN CRUEL!"

Isabelle spun around sharply on her heels and started walking back to the golf cart.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving. I'm leaving you little twerps out here on your own, while I go back to the airport and enjoy the luxury of first-class on my Jet."

"Wait." Blayke called out. "If you leave us alone, how will you know whether or not any of us get off of the trailer?"

"Oh, that's what the interns and camera crew are for."

Isabelle gestured in one direction, and the teens followed her gesture. Sure enough, there were six interns: Carl, whom they recognized from the challenge in week two; the intern with the long brown hair and orange bandana; the massive, dark-skinned intern; the intern with the blonde hair, khaki shorts, and white tanktop; and the two tall, burly interns who had given Mr. L and Wario massages earlier, Marco and Franco. Marco and Franco both held boom microphones on long rods, the large intern held a spotlight, the tanktop intern held a clipboard, the bandana intern held a camera, and Carl was sitting in a fold-up chair.

"They'll watch you while I'm gone. Carl, you're in charge."

"Yes, sir."

"Aw, man! Why does he get to be in charge?" The bandana intern whined.

"Shut up, Phil." Marco muttered. "All you do is complain."

"I've been on this show longer than anyone else! I was in the very first season, remember?"

"What about me?" The large intern spoke up in a deep voice. "I was in the first season, too!"

"Not until the very end, Steve."

"But I'm the fan favorite!" The tanktop intern interrupted.

"Only because you suffered so much abuse in those Aftermath shows, Bill." Phil replied.

"ENOUGH!" Isabelle roared at the six interns. "Carl is in charge, and that's final! And keep your eyes on those losers at all times."

"Yes, sir." Carl replied diligently, earning glares from several other interns.

"Good." With that, Isabelle climbed back into the golf cart, started it up, and disappeared over the horizon in a few minutes.

"Darn it." Mr. L muttered. He turned and noticed the person nearest him: Susan.

A grin grew on his face.

With one hand still firmly on the trailer, Mr. L reached into his pocket and slipped out some spare money he had in his pocket: a 10-dollar bill, to be exact.

Whistling casually, he crumpled it up and tossed it away.

Mr. L glanced back to see Susan's head turn sharply as her eyes followed the valuable piece of paper. Once it hit the ground, it unfurled slightly. Her eyes widened.

"Um, L? You dropped some money."

"I did?" r. L asked in a fake surprised voice. "Oh, dear. Do you think you could get it for me? I'll pay you."

"You will? Oh, boy!"

On the other end of the trailer, Blayke caught wind of their conversation as Susan's voice rose quickly. He made out the last few comments, and his eyes widened in fear.

"SUSAN, NO!"

It was too late. The redhead eagerly bolted for the bill, completely taking her hands off of the side of the trailer and practically diving to snatch it up.

"And she's out!" Carl declared, pointing a single finger at Susan, lying on the ground on top of the piece of money.

Several others now heard the commotion, and had looked over towards the first person eliminated from the challenge.

Off to the side, another redhead facepalmed angrily.

"Ha! I've outsmarted you, Mr. L! This is my money now! You know what they say: Finders keepers, losers weepers."

Ethan facepalmed again, while everyone else who had witnessed the event simply shook their heads.

* * *

 **Lavatory** **Confessional**

 **Logan** – I know the perfect quote from Shakespeare to describe that girl. Ahem. "Her beauty and her brain go not together." Cymbeline, Act I.

* * *

As Isabelle drove across the empty plain – the trailer, the group of teens, and the group of interns barely visible in the distance behind her – she cranked up his radio.

"…yes, we are receiving the latest weather updates here in Stormkyo. It appears that, over the course of the next three days, the entire area of southwestern Storm Kingdom will be seeing some very strange weather. Tomorrow, better have that ice ready, because we'll be seeing extreme temperatures of slightly over 100 degrees Fahrenheit all day.

Then the day after that, an extreme storm will hit, with rainfall of nearly one inch, along with a strong chance of lightning and thunder, along with winds of nearly 40 to 50 miles per hour. And the day after that, there will be a tornado warning out for the entire region. So if you're a tourist, you need to get the heck out of here. And if you're a resident, then you might consider going to see some of your out-of-state relatives for the next three days, because this will be something out of a bad Roland Emmerich movie."

Isabelle switched off the radio, grinning and chuckling evilly to herself.

"Oh, yes; those delinquents haven't even begun to see 'cruel' yet."


	9. Storm Stories Part 2

**"4:37:42 in and counting…''**

With the exception of Susan, not a single contestant had let go of the trailer. The 14 teens, noticeably exhausted, were not the only things that were clinging on to something. Most of their shirts and/or blouses were sticking to their skin due to the extreme heat wave. Some could even see the area around them being slightly distorted by the waves of heat, and the sun continued bearing down on them.

Mr. L sighed heavily, bullets of sweat sliding down his forehead.

"Oh…man…We…were wrong about Isabelle…"

"I…I co-couldn't agree moooooore…" Wendy replied, stretching out her "more" as she wiped her sweaty brow with an equally sweaty sleeve.

"My glasses are so steamed up, I can't see anything." Iggy added.

"Here, let me clean them!" Katelyn quickly offered.

Before Iggy could even respond, Katelyn swiped his glasses away, breathed heavily onto them, and started wiping them off. However, she soon noticed that all she was doing was spreading around the sweat already built up on the glasses. There were numerous drops of sweat still spattered all over the lenses.

"…Oops." She turned sheepishly back to Iggy. "…Sorry."

Iggy swiped them away and rubbed them off on his sweat-stained shirt before he placed them back on. He blinked once, then twice. He looked at Katelyn for a brief moment before he turned away, shaking his head in disgust. Just then, he noticed something, and actually looked at her again.

His eyes widened.

"Um…Katelyn?"

"What?"

Iggy then gestured his one hand towards the wall of the trailer behind Anna…

…where her hand had been moments earlier.

"You held my glasses with one hand, and rubbed them off with the other."

"Huh?" Katelyn then turned around and saw the wall. She raised both of her hands, looked at her sweaty palms, and looked back at Iggy with equally wide eyes.

"Oh, sh-."

Just then, a loud bullhorn sounded, and Katelyn covered her animal ears with both hands. Iggy, one hand still on the trailer, slammed his head against the metal wall to cover one ear, while covering his other with his spare hand.

A few feet away, Carl held the familiar red bullhorn, after just pressing the button on the outer side of the handle. He then let go of it, pressed the button on the back of the handle, and spoke into it:

"Katelyn has broken all bodily contact with the trailer. She is now out. Score is now 5 to 4 to 4, with Team Sahara and Team Madison down by 1, and Team Victory II taking the lead."

Just around the corner from Isaiah and Anna, Mary leaned out and saw for herself. She facepalmed.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Rosalina** – Yep, that girl just cost our team a potential win. This will only make it easier for me to form up an alliance to get rid of her. And when she's gone, if Napoleon doesn't straighten out his game, he'll go next.

* * *

Rosalina slid back along the white wall, moving past Wario and Toadette, until she came upon Logan and Mona, where the former was describing his favorite novel – which he was holding in one hand and reading from at that moment – to the latter.

"…and then the entire SWAT Team is completely taken out, and the creature gets away completely unharmed."

"Wow! Seriously? A whole team of, like, 30 guys?"

"Yep. And don't forget; the two curators were also killed."

Mona shook her head, then looked up and noticed Rosalina.

"Oh, hey Rosalina."

"Hey, guys." Rosalina responded. "I'm sure you both just heard."

"Yeah." Logan replied, shaking his head and closing his book, stuffing it into his back pocket. "Let me guess: Isaiah had something to do with it?"

"I don't know. I didn't see. But the point is, she's now out, and Team Victory II is in the lead. This is just like last week. Those two were the main reason that we lost last week, because of something they did early on."

"But we don't know if Iggy was involved." Mona defended. "And even so, he's still on the trailer, isn't he?"

"Still." Rosalina continued, lowering her voice. "The bottom line is, clearly Katelyn and Iggy are the weakest links of this team physically. They've been holding us back; Katelyn especially. Iggy himself could be better, but if all Katelyn is going to do is obsess over him, then clearly she must go first. I know that I'm kind of on the outs with the team right now since Pauline left, but I'm sure you two will understand my logic. You're both smart."

Logan and Mona glanced at each other briefly. Mona gave the questioning look and mouthed, "Should we?"

Logan shrugged.

"Look." Rosalina continued, drawing their attention back to her. "I know that you guys probably think that I hate you and all because you voted out Pauline. And, yes, I was upset that my girlfriend was voted out. But in my experience, I've learned not to dwell on the past."

"But that's technically what you're doing right now." Logan replied. "You're still upset about our team's loss last week, which you believe was the fault of Katelyn and Iggy."

Rosalina was briefly caught off-guard. "Y-yes, I guess that is true. But the point is, I'm not dwelling on that; I'm learning from it. They caused us to lose, but we spared them and voted out Pauline. And yes, she made that mistake that ultimately caused us to go the wrong way…"

"And be chased by what we thought was a giant man-eating shark." Logan added.

"Yes. That, too. But we voted him out, and he's gone."

"'We'?" Logan asked. "You voted for him, too?"

Mona gasped.

"What? No! I did not vote for Pauline. I guess I mean 'we' as a team. A majority of our team voted her out, and it's as plain as that."

Rosalina paused, wiped off her brow, and continued.

"The point is, they've caused us to lose once. Now, they're halfway done with drawing us closer to losing again. Katelyn's already out, now Isaiah's surely next. What I'm saying is that we'll surely face a repeat of their little screw-up last week. That's what I mean when I say we learn from the past."

"Ah. That reminds me of a famous quote." Logan interjected, before he cleared his throat and recited in his deep, dramatic voice: "If we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it."

"Exactly." Rosalina agreed.

"Very well, Rosalina. I have to agree with you; Katelyn and Iggy are holding us back. If we lose tonight – the key word being 'if' – then Mona and I shall vote with you against Katelyn."

"Thank you both very much. You won't regret this."

Rosalina turned around, placing one hand onto the trailer before removing the other, and walked away.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Rosalina** – See? It's that easy. We're on a team of five right now. Katelyn and Iggy can be tighter than the Gordian Knot for all I care. All I need is 3 out of 5 votes against Katelyn. And who knows? It's obvious that Iggy is creeped out by Katelyn's behavior. I have the ability to make this a perfect victory; a landslide vote of 4 out of 5 against Katelyn. But I figure that she'll be hanging around igg too much, even when she's out of the game, for me to get a chance to talk to him. Even if she's not, she'll probably pounce right onto him if she saw me coming anywhere near him. So, for now, I must keep it at a close 3 against 2. Taking a chance, but a worthy chance.

 **Logan** – That was quite an exchange. I must admit, I was pleased with Rosalina's way with words. She handled it quite well and ultimately won me over and convinced me. I feel that she's truly my intellectual superior on this show, along with Wendy, and I must respect her for it.

 **Mona** – (Rubbing the back of her head nervously) So…I guess this means I'm voting for Katelyn.

* * *

Mr. L was standing next to one of the larger windows of the trailer, looking around at the people near him. Wendy was a few feet away on his left, while Isabel, Toadette, and Iggy were on his right, spread out along the one wall of the trailer that they were against. Isabel was nearest him, standing as far underneath the awning as she could to stay out of the sun.

The metaphorical light bulb went off in his head.

Wendy watched as L started to slide along the wall of the trailer, advancing towards the prom queen.

Great. What's he up to now?

Mr. L approached Isabel, wiping off his brow yet again as he started to speak.

"Man, this heat is something else, isn't it?"

"I'll say!" She replied in her usual whiny voice. "Even my tanning bed at home isn't this hot!"

"Yep. It's not good for a pretty lady like yourself to be out in this heat." Mr. L smirked as he said this.

"I'll say!" She repeated. "And I don't even have a decent mirror! I can't see anything in these windows!"

She turned around once again and peered hard against the glass window behind her, but couldn't see much of her own reflection: Only the interior of the luxurious trailer within, taunting her even more.

She turned back to Mr. L. "I need an honest answer, L. Is my mascara running? Is my hair starting to get unruly? Is my sweat ruining my makeup? Is anything wrong with my face?"

Everything is wrong with your face. Mr. L thought sarcastically before he donned a fake worried look and replied out loud.

"Oh, dear. Is that what all of that is?"

"All of what? All of what?"

"There's long streaks of black running down from your eyes. Oh, and some parts of your hair are all frizzled and sticking out! And your whole forehead is sweat-streaked! Oh, it's awful!"

"All of that? Are you sure? But I've been under this awning the whole time!"

"Well, I'm sorry. The shade hasn't helped much."

"NOOOOOO!"

Isabel leapt out from underneath the awning, tearing her hand away from the side of the trailer, and dashed over to the camera crew nearby, collapsing at Carl's feet.

"I'm out! I'm out! OK? I admit it! I'm out of the challenge! Just get me some decent shade, air conditioning, a mirror, and my makeup bag! PLEASE!"

"Just a second." Carl then lifted up his bullhorn, sounding the loud alarm once again, before speaking into it. "Isabel has broken all bodily contact with the trailer, and is out! The official score is now 5-4-3, with Team Victory II still in the lead, Team Sahara still down by one, and Team Madison now down by two!"

"OK, your announcement's over, now PLEASE give me a MIRROR, NOW!"

"OK…" Carl took off his aviator sunglasses and handed them to Isabel. She held her hand behind one of the lenses to avoid any transparency, and so she could only see her reflection.

Aside from some drops of sweat on her face, there were no mascara trails, and no frizzled hair.

"What the…? YOU!"

She spun around and furiously raised a finger at Mr. L. "YOU lied to me!"

"I beg your pardon?"

"There's nothing wrong with my face!"

"Actually, everything's wrong with your face, sweetheart." Mr. L replied with a wink.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Isabel started to charge, only for Marco to hold her back.

"Now, now, settle down." Carl scolded her. "Those who are out of the challenge cannot approach the trailer and the remaining participants again. It's the rules."

"Fine. When this challenge is OVER, you're DEAD!"

Mr. L waved at her and grinned.

''5:48:02 in and counting…''

"…and that's how I saved an entire flock of seagulls in under 60 seconds."

By now, Iggy was sitting on the dry ground, sweat on his palm threatening to make his hand slide right down the side of the trailer and fall off. He was exhausted, steaming hot, and ready to scream after listening nonstop to Katelyn's animal stories. Even though she was farther away from him, all the way back with the group of interns and the few eliminated contestants, she still spoke loudly enough to thoroughly annoy him as much as if she was right next to him.

"Oh, and then there was the time I was lost in the Serengeti for about 5 days. It was amazing…"

Nearby, a certain contestant happened to notice Iggy's uncomfortable predicament. He soon got another idea, and approached casually, checking up and down the wall they were on to see if anyone else was nearby. Only wendy, who was asleep and leaning against the trailer wall further behind him, and Toadette a few more feet away, stuck on her cell phone as always, were nearby.

"Hey, Iggy. Enjoying your girlfriend's horror stories?"

"She's…not my girlfriend…and I am not enjoying this at all! It's bad enough that it's too hot for me to handle, and I'm exhausted out of my mind, but now I'm being mentally tortured by her nonstop words!"

"Gee, why not just let go of the trailer and be out?"

"Are you kidding? Then I'd be forced to go over there to where she is, and be even closer to her! Besides, if I gave up now, the rest of my team would hate me for it and vote me off!"

"Oh, I see what you mean, pal. Hmm…" Mr. L then turned his head away and put a hand on his chin, pretending to be deep in thought. After he got an idea, he turned back to Iggy, whose slippery, sweaty hand had already slid further down the wall of the trailer.

"OK, I've got it."

"What?"

"I know how I can help you to get out of this challenge and get away from her."

"How?"

"Well, here's the deal…"

Mr. L leaned closer to Iggy and started whispering in his ear. Katelyn continued on with her story, yelling across the way and not seeming to care about the rival competitor whispering into Iggy's ear. As he drew closer and closer to the end, Iggy's eyes widened and a slight grin appeared on his face.

"So, how does that sound?"

"Great! Man, I'll totally owe you one for this!"

"No problem." Mr. L replied with a sinister grin.

"OK, let's do it."

Mr. L straightened up, and Isaiah slowly stood up as well, preparing for the oncoming exchange.

"And there I was: Surrounded by fifteen or sixteen of those rabid monkeys! Oh, they were all so cute!"

Katelyn Anna continued on, now more absorbed in her own story than Iggy or anyone else was, Mr. L slowly raised one hand to his mouth.

"Ah…ah…AH…AAAAHHHHH-CHOOOO!"

And with that, he unleashed a fairly convincing fake sneeze, aimed right at Isaiah's hand.

Iggy jerked his hand away instantly, clutching it tightly with his other hand.

"Ah, gross! Dude, that's disgusting!"

And with that, the bullhorn sounded again.

"And Iggy is out!" Carl declared. "The score is now 5-3-3! Team Victory II still leads strong with five members, while Team Sahara and Team Madison are both down by two!"

Hearing this, Rosalina tore around the corner, her hand flying along the trailer wall, until she saw for herself that Isaiah was off, and being taken away.

"WHAT? You idiot! What happened? What got into you?"

"Don't blame me!" Iggy said with a cough. He raised a finger at Mr. L. "He sneezed on me! You know I can't stand germs!" Iggy then turned to Carl. "You wouldn't happen to have any hand sanitizer, would you?"

"ARGH!"

Mr. L looked briefly at the infuriated Rosalina before looking back at Iggy. Isaiah briefly turned back to him, and Mr. L flashed a quick thumbs-up. Iggy returned it, under the cover of pretending to be cleansing his hands with the sanitizer Carl gave him.

Just as Iggy stepped under the many umbrellas that the six interns and three previously eliminated contestants were standing under, a certain tail-and-animal-ear-wearing girl rushed up to him.

"So, as I was saying…"

"Uh, hey, Franco!" Iggy hollered.

The dark-skinned, burly intern looked up at Iggy as he approached.

"What do you want, kid?"

Iggy quickly strode up to him, Anna right on his heels. "So, uh, my friend tells me you're an expert massager."

"…they all reared back, preparing to pounce…"

"Yeah, I am. But I only give massages to members of the winning team. And currently, there is no winning team. So I'm on break."

"I know, I know, I get it."

"…and then five of them charged me, and I jumped up over them, and they crashed into each other…"

"Well, according to my informant, you know of a special pressure point in the shoulder, right?"

"The one that, if pinched just right, just hard enough, will knock the body completely unconscious with no possible way of awakening for about 3 hours. I know that one. What about it?"

"…even though they tried to attack me, I couldn't leave them there for lions to eat! So I started nursing them all back to health…"

"Could you, er…" Iggy jerked a thumb back at Katelyn. "Get me out of this?"

Franco took one look at the babbling animal-lover, and shrugged. "Eh. If it'll get her to shut up."

Iggy quickly turned around and closed his eyes. He could hear Franco crack his knuckles behind him. Then he felt the strong hand on his right shoulder. A pinch. And then blackness.

"And then…Iggy? IGGY?"

* * *

 **''8:39:57 in and counting…''**

Over the course of the next three, as the heat rose drastically, the remaining 11 contestants started to dwindle down. Wario, Skyler, Rain, and Wendy all dropped out in that very order. Only Mr. L, Chyna, Blayke, Toadette, Rosalina, Logan, and Mona remained.

"And with that, the score is now 3-2-2!" Carl declared after Wendy dropped out (she had still been asleep, and had fallen over and lost contact with the side of the trailer). "For the first time, Team Victory II is no longer in the lead! Team Sahara now leads with 3 members remaining. Team Victory II and Team Madison both have only 2 remaining!"

"YES! Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES!" Rosalina cheered. "FINALLY, we're in first! Not so hot now, are you L?"

Mr. L, farther down the wall from Rosalina, scowled at her before turning away.

"Guess it's just you and me now, huh Chyna? Chyna?"

Mr. L looked around for the psychotic blonde.

"Oh, great. Don't tell me she's…"

"UP HERE!"

Mr. L craned his head back, and his jaw dropped when he saw none other than Chyna herself, up on the roof of the trailer, her legs wrapped around the antenna and hanging upside down from the wires.

"Look at me! I'm so high right now!"

"In more ways than one." Mr. L muttered. He then yelled up, "Just don't lose contact with the trailer! We can't afford to lose!"

"Can't afford to lose? Why? How much does it cost? I'm sure I can cover it with a quick trip to the bank and back!"

Mr. L facepalmed.

Meanwhile, Logan and Mona were still having a pleasant conversation on the other side of the trailer, with Rosalina nearby, relaxing in the shade now that the sun was on the other side of the trailer.

"So…what do you plan on doing with the money if you win?" Mona asked casually.

"Well, I was planning on using some of it to help out my family. They're not in the best financial situation right now. And, of course, some of it would help fund my tuition and hopefully get me into the school of my dreams."

"What school is that?"

"Dixie School in New Donk City, Metro Kingdom It's a performing arts conservatory, and is generally considered one of the finest performing arts schools in all the world."

"Wow."

"Yes. I hope that my time on this show, plus all of my years of practice and experience, will boost my chances of getting accepted. They're very tough, you know. Their acceptance rate is almost always below 10%, especially in recent years."

"How much is that?"

Logan chuckled. "My good friend, the question is not how much; it's how little. In 2009, the school accepted only 8% of all applicants."

"I'm still not sure how mu – er, how little – that is." Mona replied.

Logan smiled. "OK, here's a better one: In the year 2007, approximately 2,138 people applied, and only 7.58% were accepted. Do you know how little that is?"

"Sorry; I was never very good with math." Mona replied nervously, biting her lip out of slight embarrassment.

Logan laughed again. "Oh, that's quite alright. I myself am not a man of math. But I don't do the math myself; I simply go onto the Internet and look up these statistics. That's how I remember so many specific numbers so well."

"Oh." Mona said with a nervous chuckle.

"Anyway; 7.58% of 2,138 applicants is equal to only 162 accepted."

Mona's eyes widened. "Oh…wow. That must be a tough school to get into."

"It certainly is. But I'm quite confident that my chances are as good as anyone else's."

"So…is that all you planned to do?"

"Originally, yes. But you see, the original application form sent out said that the prize would simply be one million dollars. Myself, as well as all the other newcomers, were just as shocked as you were when we heard Isabelle announce that the prize was actually two million dollars. Do you know how much more I can do with that? I could benefit my family, fund my tuition, and still have some left over."

"And what would you do with that?"

Logan paused for a moment, deep in thought.

"Oh, perhaps I would just share it with some of my closest friends. Including all the friends I've made here on the show."

"Really?" Mona asked, stunned. "You'd…really do that?"

"To quote the great Elvis Presley…" Logan then assumed his deeper, stronger-sounding quote-reciting voice, with a slight hint of the famous Elvis tone in there: "What good is fame and fortune if you don't have friends to share it with?"

"I see." Mona replied, smiling."

"Elvis said that to his best friend, George Klein, after he gave him a brand new car for his birthday."

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Mona** – Logan is so nice and charming. Especially when he uses that quoting voice of his. I wonder if, by any chance, he might've been referring to me when he said "friends I've made here on the show." I mean, I would love to share some of that money, but I wouldn't count on it…

* * *

"Well, I think we won't have to deal with this heat for much longer." Logan said, raising a hand over his eyes as he looked towards the sun. "It's almost completely set. Where's Chef's torturous hot weather now?"

Before either of them could continue on, there was a sudden rumbling above them. Logan and mona raised their heads in the opposite direction, and, for the first time, noticed that the completely empty orange sky was no longer completely empty. Dark clouds were gathering in from the east, rolling towards them and gaining fast on the sun and turning the orange sky black.

"Uh-oh…"

"Alright, men! Prepare to put on your ponchos! And get that equipment's waterproof coverings on now!" Carl commanded. Almost in perfect unison, the six interns put down whatever equipment they were holding and donned raincoats and ponchos, preparing for the sudden shift in weather. Afterwards, they picked up all of their various cameras, microphones, and boom rods, and began donning transparent coverings similar to their ponchos, to protect the equipment.

"You're freakin' kidding me." Rosalina exclaimed.

"I wish I was." Carl replied with a shrug.

Wario approached the tall, blonde intern and casually tapped his shoulder.

"Um, Carl? Where are our ponchos? We'll need protection, too."

"Sorry, kid. Isabelle didn't give me any other coats. There's some umbrellas over that monitor that are good for protecting from both the sunlight and the rain. But if the winds start kicking up, you better hold onto those tight, and don't let them blow away."

Wario turned back to the other eliminated contestants, who had equally worried looks on their faces.

"First incredible heat, and now RAIN?" Chyna exclaimed from her perch. "AW, YEAH! This'll be like the perfect storm, only even perfect-er!"

"Anything that's perfect in her book is certainly not perfect for us." Mr. L muttered again.

* * *

Meanwhile, another determined contestant headed over to the one other remaining member of his team.

"OK, Toadette. It's you and me. Your teammates let me down. Don't let yourself do the same. Got it?"

Naturally, only some soft typing was his response.

"Good."

Within a few minutes, the clouds were now directly over them. The sky was blotted out, the sun long gone, and the rumbling still continuing.

"Well, this is definitely going to be interesting." Logan commented.

Then there was a massive thunderclap. A bolt of lightning shot across the sky, and rain started to pour down hard.

"Oh, GREAT!" Mr. L exclaimed. "Rain. Wonderful!"

Just then, there was a blood-curling scream from the other side of the trailer, tearing through everyone's ears, prompting almost everyone to cover their ears hard with both hands.

The scream came from Toadette, now tightly gripping her phone in both hands.

"THIS RAIN WILL KILL MY PHONE! I HAVE TO GET AWAY FROM HERE!" She screamed, releasing all bodily contact with the trailer wall and tearing around the corner, dashing back to the group of interns and eliminated contestants. She dove underneath the nearest umbrella, which had Wario under it, and knocked him out of the way to protect her phone.

"Out of my way! My phone must be protected!"

"Your phone isn't even waterproof?" Skyler asked incredulously.

"No! This phone was cheaper than the waterproof model." She admitted sheepishly.

At that moment, Carl's bullhorn sounded once more.

"And with that, we have a three-way dropout!" He declared. "In addition to Toadette, two people broke all bodily contact with the trailer to cover their ears when she screamed!" He announced, visibly shocking everyone else. "Mr. L, Mona, and Rosalina! You three are out!"

"WHAT? NO! That's not fair!" Mr. L protested.

"Oh, quit complaining." Rosalina muttered as she walked past.

"Yeah! She's right, you know!" Chyna agreed from above the trailer. "It could be worse. It could be raining, lightning, and thundering!"

"It is raining, lightning, and thundering." Mr. L replied blankly.

"And that's just the way I like it! It's a real shocker!"

Mr. L facepalmed.

"Repeat: Mr. L, Mona, and Rosalina, move away from the trailer."

Grumbling to himself, Mr. L pulled his shirt up over his head and walked off towards the others.

"Oh, no." Mona uttered. "I…I didn't even realize…"

"It's OK." Logan replied. "I'll admit that it was quite loud. I barely managed to hang on."

"But you're the only one left now. You sure you'll be OK?"

"I'll be fine." Logan replied with a smile. "Um, but do you think you could perhaps take my book for me?" He held out the blue novel to her, holding it in one hand and covering it from above with the other, his back against the trailer's wall. "It is, after all, my favorite novel."

"Uh, sure!" Mona agreed. She took the novel from him, holding it close to her body and covering it with both hands. She looked back at him one last time before turning and running back to join the others.

"And just like that, we are now down to our final three, in a three-way tie! One person remains on each team! Chyna for Team Victory II, Blayke for Team Madison, and Logan for Team Sahara! This is it! Whoever drops out next, their team will be facing elimination! Whoever is the last person standing shall win this challenge, first-class, and the trailer itself, for their team!"

"Alright! This trailer is MINE!" Chyna declared.

"In your dreams, redhead!" Blayke shot back.

"Why are you talking about yourself like that?"

"What? I'm not, idiot!"

"You're a redhead, too, aren't you?"

"Well, yes I am, but tha-."

Blayke's response was drowned out by a sudden burst of thunder, and another lightning bolt flashing and illuminating the entire area.

Within a matter of seconds, the rain was pounding so hard that it felt as if it was ripping through their clothing. The rushing and howling of the wind drowned out any sound that any of them might have made, as well as severed any form of communication between the three remaining contestants and the group standing off to the side, barely able to hold onto the few umbrellas that remained.

"It is as if the heavens are raining down all their tears of sorrow upon the earth!"

"This is no time for theatrics, Shakespeare!" Blayke shot back.

"What?" Logan replied loudly. "I didn't say anything!"

Blayke, after a brief pause, looked up at the crazy redhead clinging to the antenna on top of the trailer, with one hand over her heart as she looked up at the sky dramatically.

"Oh, brother." He muttered just as another loud thunderclap sounded.

Just then, there was a sudden scream from the group under the umbrellas. The large intern, Steve, was pointing worriedly off into the distance.

"Is that what I think it is?"

Everyone else followed his gesture, and at first, saw nothing but darkness in the distance.

Then, with the next powerful flash of lightning, everyone saw it: While everything else was briefly illuminated, they could see a large, dark funnel in the distance, twisting and twirling, writhing powerfully with its base kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris on the ground.

A tornado.

"A real tornado?" Blayke roared. "You have GOT to be kidding me!"

"I…I didn't think Isabelle was telling the truth!" Carl stuttered. "We have to get everyone else away from here, NOW!"

"Everyone 'ELSE'?" Blayke exclaimed. "What about us?"

"The show must go on!" Logan stated.

"He's right!" Carl agreed. "Besides, Isabelle's have my head if he hears that we abandoned the challenge and ruined the episode just because of what she'd call 'one little windstorm.'" He turned to the group around him. "We have our own golf cart! We'll hook it up to the trailer left behind by Chef, and have Phil, Steve, Bill, Marco, and Franco take you all back to the abandoned airport! I must stay here with the final three!"

"NO!" Blayke exclaimed in fury. "Forget it! I'm going, too!"

And with that, Blayk released his grip on the trailer and ran over to the group, glancing back in the direction of the tornado just as another lightning flash illuminated it.

"Alright, then! Team Madison is facing elimination! It's down to Team Victory II and Team Sahara for the prize! Everyone else, onboard NOW!"

In a few minutes, the 13 contestants and 5 interns had climbed into the trailer, with Phil driving the golf cart and Bill sitting in the passenger seat beside him. A majority of the equipment and umbrellas were packed in the very back of the trailer.

"We're all set here, Carl!" Phil reported. "But how are you and the other two gonna get back?"

"We've got the ATV here! It's just enough for the three of us!"

"What about the equipment that we have to leave here?"

"Tell Isabelle that the tornado picked it up! Just go!"

Carl gestured frantically toward the horizon in the direction of the airport, urging the group to leave. They complied, and the golf cart started up, taking off as fast as it could towards the distant shelter with its 18 passengers.

Carl turned back to the final two contestants, still clinging fiercely to the trailer. He glanced back at the tornado, which approached slowly and menacingly.

His eyes wide with fear, he decided to try to divert the attention back to the game.

"Alright, Logan and Chyna! We might as well make this a bit interesting, and hopefully take both of your minds off the tornado! It's time for a reprise of the song from earlier, with just you two! Banter back and forth competitively with the lyrics, and…whatever! Go!"

''Ding-ding!''

* * *

 **''Musical Reprise** – **Hey There''**

'' **Chyna** : Hey there, boy!''

''Why don't you let go right now?''

''Hey there, boy!''

''Why don't you let go right now?''

''Mother nature's mad''

''And if you don't, that's bad!''

'' **Logan** : Well, I don't want to go home, girl!''

''Don't want to go now!''

''I want to win that million dollars''

''But I just do not know how!''

''So there, girl''

''That is why I will not let go''

''I don't care if it's bad!''

''If I let go, I'll be mad!''

 **''{Musical Interlude:** Logan playing the harmonica, Carl tapping his feet as he shivers, Chyna repeatedly spinning around on the antenna, doing the splits, standing on her hands, etc. Logan eventually manages to scale the wall and stands on top of the trailer with Chyna, openly challenging her.}''

 **''Chyna:** Hey there, boy!''

''Why don't you let go ri-ight now?''

''Hey there, boy!''

''Why don't you let go ri-ight now?''

 **''Logan:** Because if I-I lose''

''Then I'm gonna have the blues''

''I'm gonna win for my te-am''

''Maybe then they'll all love me''

''Then we'll all stay in first class''

''How nice that will be!''

''That's why, girl''

''I will never le-et go''

''I said you can't break me''

''Because I'm too tough-''

 **''Chyna:** ENOUGH!''

''I'm gonna win me this game!''

''Either this way o-or that''

''I'm gonna beat you so bad''

''You'll be my doormat''

'' **Logan** : Let go, girl!''

''You cannot possibly win!''

 **''Chyna:** We'll just see about that''

''By the way…LIE FLAT!''

''End Musical Reprise''

* * *

With that, Chyna instantly threw herself down, lying flat on the roof of the trailer and covering her head with both hands.

"Huh?" Logan asked, shocked by the last two lyrics. He spun around to look behind him…

…just as one of the remaining umbrellas, picked up by the wind, flew right into him and lifted him up off his feet, sending him flying backwards and off the roof of the trailer to the ground below.

He lied on the ground, looking straight up at the dark sky, still blindly stunned by the sudden impact and brief flight. Then, after a few moments, he realized that he had lost.

"And there it is!" Carl declared, riding around to the other side of the trailer on the red ATV. "Chyna has won the challenge, immunity for her team, and the reward of the trailer for herself after the season! Now let's get out of here!"

Logan was forced to put aside his disappointment and shock as he scrambled to his feet and ran over to the ATV, jumping on behind Carl.

"But wait! What about the trailer?" Chyna called from up on the roof.

"Forget it for now! Let's just get out of here!"

Vhyna turned around and saw the tornado now only about a hundred yards away, its force enough to pick up all of the remaining equipment and carry it away. One of the folding chairs flew by and barely grazed her.

"Fine! YAA-HOO!"

She leapt off the roof of the trailer, doing several somersaults in mid-air until she landed on the ATV right behind Logan, wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"Let's get this show on the road!" She cheered.

Carl revved up the ATV and sped off, tearing across the open field, away from the trailer, and towards the distant airport.

Only Chyna dared to look back at the receding trailer one final time…

…moments before the tornado was upon it, lifting its massive bulk up off the ground, swirling around the towering funnel and ripping it apart.

* * *

Back at the Jumbo Jet, after Carl relayed the results of the challenge to the rest of the cast, there was a mix of cheers and groans. Team Victory II eagerly greeted its latest champion, followed by Wendy and Rain hugging while Wario and Matthew exchanged a hi-five.

"YES! FOUR times! We're unstoppable!" Mr. L cheered.

Over on Team Sahara, Logan shrugged.

"What can I say? I did not duck fast enough. I'm sorry."

"Oh, it's OK." Mona encouraged him. "At least we didn't come in last place."

"True." Iggy added. "You gave your best out there, dude."

"I guess he did." Rosalina added, with an unseen glare from Katelyn as response.

"And there you all have it." Isabelle declared. "Team Madison is going to elimination once again! We're taking off in half an hour. Be at the elimination area in one hour!"

* * *

 **''Later…''**

As Isabel turned away from the redhead and walked down towards the lavatory, Blayke saw Skyler head off into the cafeteria. With a slight smirk, he headed off after her.

She stopped at the corner of the table that was farther from the economy-class area, her back to him although she was well aware of his presence.

"Let me guess; you're gonna tell me who we need to vote for?"

"I just got done spreading the word to Isabel and Toadette. It's Susan."

"Susan, huh? Let me guess; because she was the first person eliminated, and she was eliminated over such a stupid trick by Mr. L?"

"Precisely. You're getting so good at this." Blayke walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"But…you were the one we depended on for the win." She said, turning her head slightly towards him. "Shouldn't you be to blame?"

"Excuse me?" His hand dropped. "You're trying to blame me? In case you've forgotten; there was a tornado heading straight for us."

"Still…Logan and Chyna didn't give up because of that."

"Chyna's a psychopath. And Logan…heck, he was probably just trying to impress Mona. I'm not trying to impress anyone, except myself. Anyone with common sense, a sane mind, or no infatuation with a teammate would've remained there any longer when it was clearly so dangerous. At least I had a credible reason to let go. Susan let go over a few cents. Are you honestly willing to keep such a dimwit over me? Me? The guy who's promising to take you to the end?"

A long pause. Then a sigh.

"Well…I guess not…"

"You need to know not. Skyler, I like you. You're loyal. You're by far my number one ally here. Isabel would've given up if we were forced to hold onto a wall of mud or something, and Toadette would've given up if it required losing her cell phone. You've got no hang-up over anything so trivial. That's one thing we have in common. You're probably the second-best player on this team."

"You…you really mean that?"

"Of course I do, Skyler. You and me, together, are gonna go far." Blayke slowly regained his menacing grin, and put his hand back on her shoulder. "Susan." He reiterated.

And then he was gone.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – Most of what I said to her was true. In terms of loyalty or lack of some kind of trivial hindrance, she is definitely the second-best member of this whole team. But her clumsiness is still a setback. Just not as stupid as a cell phone, or breaking a nail, or being just plain stupid. Nevertheless, I will take her as far as I need to. Which, if all goes according to plan, won't be long.

* * *

 **''Later, at the elimination ceremony…''**

"Team Madison, you have all cast your votes and made your decision! I have with me only four Barf Bags. Four for four, none for one. When I call your name, receive your Barf Bag and…whatever. The first three Barf Bags go to…Blayke, Skyler, and Toadette!"

They all caught their Barf Bags in rapid succession, leaving only Susan and Isabel.

"And we're down to one Bag, two hags. The final Bag goes to…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Isabel!"

As the prom queen caught her Bag, the realization actually managed to sink in with the ditzy redhead.

"…What?" She spun around to face her teammates. "But Edward said it was Lana going home tonight!"

"Yeah, well, there ain't no Edward and there ain't no Lana, so you're outta here!"

Isabelle tossed the parachute to Susan, who nearly fell over from the impact. She slowly stood up, putting on the parachute as she dragged her feet across the floor towards the open door.

"But…But…"

"Butt it is!"

And with that, Isabelle delivered a swift kick to her backside, sending her flying out the door.

Blayke, with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow, turned to Skyler, who was too nervous to eat any of her peanuts.

"And with that, Team Madison is at the lowest of the three teams with four members! Will the rumored relationship between Shakespeare and Silent ever happen? Will Team Victory II win every single challenge this season? Find out some of these answers, not necessarily next time, but later on, here on Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

* * *

 **Voting Confessionals**

 **Blayke** – Time to go, ditzy.

 **Skyler** – (To herself) He thinks I'm second-best…Oh, sorry. Yeah, like Blayke said, it has to be Susan.

 **Isabel** – Anything to save myself. Bye, Susan.

 **Toadette** – (Types on her phone, then holds it up to the camera. It reads: "Susan.")

 **Susan** – Edward told me that Lana's attitude is too much for the team to handle, so it's time to go bye-bye Lana!

* * *

 **Voting Results**

 **Blayke** – Susan

 **Skyler** – Susan

 **Isabel** – Susan

 **Toadette** – Susan

 **Susan** – Isabel

* * *

 **Total Votes**

 **Susan** – 4

 **Isabel** – 1


	10. Viva Las Vega Part 1

"Last time on Total Drama Mario World Tour: The desolate plains of the Storm Kingdom. We were down to 15 kids, and the challenge was simple yet painful; hold onto a trailer as long as possible, and last one standing wins. Sounds easy right? Heh, heh. WRONG!

"Through the unbearable heat, exhaustion, wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and even a tornado, tensions and drama were high! Some of this drama included but was not limited to: Cocky winner boy tricking dimwit Susan into dropping out first by using some loose change; Perfectionist attempting to form an alliance with Shakespeare and Silent Girl; and an epic clash between the Shakespeare fanatic and the psycho redhead in the midst of a storm, which the latter won. As a result, Team Victory II won yet again, and on Team Madison, ditzy Susan was given the axe.

"Who will go home next? How much longer will it be before Team Victory II faces their downfall? Will the scheming redhead's alliance stay strong? And what's our next location? Find out today, right now, on Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!'

* * *

"I'm telling you, we have got to bring back this team's morale!" Blayke declared, pacing back and forth with one hand behind his back and another clenched into a fist. "We've lost two members now. Two! And so far, that stupid Team Victory rip-off has been sitting in first class every single week! How much longer do we have to put up with this? Sitting on these rotten, filthy old benches? Having water drip onto us from the ceiling? Rats skirting between our feet? Cold, hard, unforgiving metal and wood as our beds? I say that there is only ONE solution!"

There was a pause as he slowly glanced at each and every one of the other eight occupants of economy class, members of his team and the opposing team.

After a pause, Skyler piped up. "We win?"

"WRONG! …Well, kinda, yes." He shook his head and mentally kicked himself at the mistake. "But I was thinking more along the lines of 'We ensure that Team Victory II loses'!"

"He's right." Rosalina agreed, standing up and moving next to him. "It doesn't matter which of us wins, as long as Team Victory II loses! Then we can finally even this thing out a little! Every time Team Victory II wins, it's another one of us gone! Do we want a member of Team Victory II to win?"

A collective "No!" was shouted out by Skyler, Isabel, Katelyn, and Iggy.

"Thank you, Rosalina." Blayke concurred. "Now, while I am not necessarily the strongest advocate for an alliance between two whole teams, it is inevitable in this particular instance. Either Team Madison and Team Sahara join together against Team Victory II, or we will all be whittled away, and all five of them will be the top five!"

"But what difference does it matter?" Mona asked. "Haven't we already been trying to beat them for the past four weeks?"

"In a way, yes. But for the last four weeks, we've been going about it the wrong way. We've been looking out for ourselves, trying to ensure that our own team wins. Now all we need to do is shift the focus a little: Rather than focusing entirely on our team winning, we focus on their team losing."

"You…don't mean…?" Logan started.

"That's right, my good sir: Sabotage."

"It's evil…but necessary." Isabel admitted.

"All those in favor?" Blayke asked.

The hands that went up almost immediately were those of Blayke, Isabel, Toadette, Rosalina, and Katelyn. A few seconds later, the hands of Skyler and Iggy followed with slight reluctance. Only two people decided to stay firm and keep their hands down.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Blayke** – That little "vote" just decided who is and who isn't willing to be loyal to me. Looks like I know which two people to get rid of first at the merge.

 **Logan** – I just do not endorse such a barbaric act at this juncture. I can understand their reasoning for it, but I do not share their emotions.

 **Mona** – (swallows nervously, tugs on her shirt collar) I have that horrible feeling that me and Louis not raising our hands is gonna come back to bite us in the butt. That Blayke kid really is starting to scare me…

* * *

 **In first class…**

"Attention all slimeballs!" The speaker sounded off loudly, interrupting the casual nap of the winning team's only two members. "We will soon be landing in our next destination, which, for your information, is still in Soleanna."

"Again? Dang it, even I'm getting sick of this kingdoms." Mr. L grumbled.

"So am I, kid, but you don't see me complaining, do you?" The voice responded. "Now, as I was saying, we'll be landing in…"

Just then, the plane started shaking wildly and bumping up and down. The cucumbers slid off of Wario and Mr. L's eyes, and loose objects started falling and rolling around on the soft, carpeted floor.

Rain and Wendy, sleeping in another chair and one of the couches, respectively, were jolted awake from their otherwise peaceful naps as well.

"…never mind. We're landing right now! So buckle up!"

"Nice timing." Mr. L grumbled as he sat up, pulled his seat back into the upright position, and buckled the seat belt together. Wario did the same.

"Still in Soleanna, eh? I wonder where, though." Wario mused.

"Well, we've been gradually moving west since the Luminous Forest." Mr. L noted. "First Mystic, then Storm…We're probably gonna stop somewhere in the Midwest, or maybe the West Coast."

"Oooooh! Sky Kingdom? I hope we stop in Celestial Skyway!"

"I doubt it'll be that far. And what's so great about Celestial Skyway anyway?" Mr. L asked with a raised eyebrow.

Before Wario could respond, there was another sudden and loud crash as the plane shook wildly. It sounded as if something large and heavy had just broken off.

"What was that?" Wario asked frantically as he struggled to get his seat belt over his bulk and fasten it.

"I don't know, but it doesn't sound like anything new." Mr. L commented as he rolled his eyes.

* * *

 **Later…**

After the chaotic semi-crash landing, the 14 remaining contestants all disembarked from the Jet into a blazing hot Nevada sun, surrounded by a busy and crowded airport. Almost instantly, the heat began taking its toll.

"Oh my GOD!" Isabel exclaimed. "Why is it so hot out here? My makeup will be ruined! The mascara stains will take hours to rub off!"

"Where are we, anyway?" Blayke grumbled. "The Mojave?"

"Close, but no cigar. You are all now officially in Sin City itself!"

"San Andreas?" A clueless Wario asked.

"Vice City?" Mr. L added.

"NO! The REAL Sin City: Casinopolis, City Kingdom!"

Almost instantly, a chorus of cheers went up.

"ALRIGHT! Casinopolis is the place!" Iggy cheered. "I've always wanted to see all of the replicas of world monuments! The pyramid, the sphinx, the Eiffel Tower…"

"Casinopolis. While somewhat crude in its style of entertainment, it is without question one of the world capitals for plays and stage performances of the highest level. What a stop!" Logan said with a smile.

"Sweet! I'm gonna hit the town!" Wario cheered with a pump of his fists.

"Oh, you will all get a chance to see the sights…" Isabell paused to chuckle evilly. "…But not for too long, because if you do stray off for sightseeing, you'll find yourselves sending someone else home! Today's challenge is another treasure hunt! This time, you'll be searching for your team's lost item somewhere in downtown Casinopolis! There is no time limit; only whoever finds the item first, second, and last!

"You will all receive one clue to your hidden items in the form of a riddle! The answers to all three riddles is some structure in Casinopolis, where your item will be hidden either inside, outside, or near."

He then reached into his pocket and pulled out three rolled-up pieces of paper, each tied neatly with red bows, and approached the teenagers, handing each one to a representative from each team: Mr. L, Blayke, and Rosalina, respectively.

"You may use whatever transportation methods you are able to use: Walking, taxi, or even piggybacking each other. But you must think hard about these riddles, and that's just the beginning. Some of these places may be foreign to those who have never been to Casinopolis before, much less ever been to one of these places. So you all either need to find yourselves a map or hope that one of you is a Casinopolis expert. Any questions?"

Almost immediately, a hand shot up from Mr. L. "What exactly is the nature of these items?" There was an obvious tone of sarcasm in his voice as he clearly remembered the similar hidden prizes in the first challenge.

Isabelle caught the obvious sarcasm, and was prepared to strike back. "You'll find out when you find them, now won't you?"

"That's not the answer I was looking for." Mr. L retorted.

"Well too bad, because you ain't looking in the right place! Are there any other questions from anyone else, that don't involve your own selfish desires?"

After a few silent seconds, interrupted only by a grunt from Mr. L, Isabelle responded, "Good. Now, here are the walkie-talkies ya'll will be using in the challenge. Each team gets two walkie-talkies, and you may use them as you please. If you choose to split your team into groups, you may do so. I recommend, however, no more than two groups; one per walkie-talkie, you know. These can be used to communicate with members of your own team, as well as myself back at the Jet and members of the other teams if you wish. Team Victory II's channel is 1. Team Sahara's channel is 2. Team Madison's channel is 3. And my channel is 4. When you have located your team's item, you press the red button to send off a signal indicating so, or you may simply report it as a spoken message if you so wish.

"Now that that's out of the way, there's only one thing left to do before we start your challenge…"

Ding-ding!

* * *

 **Musical Number** – **Viva Las Vegas**

 **Wario:** Bright light city gonna set my soul

Gonna set my soul on fire!

 **Mr. L** : There's a secret item hidden somewhere out there

So get those stakes up higher!

 **Blayke** : There's the key to immunity hidden out there

They are all hidden, but where, where, where?

 **Wario:** It's too bad we don't have much time to spare!

 **All:** Viva Las Vegas!

Viva Las Vegas!

 **Logan:** How I wish that I could spend all 24 hours in this city

Because all the lights are so bright!

 **Wario:** And all of the girls are so pretty!

Oh, there's black jack and poker and the roulette wheel!

All you really need are some nerves of steel…

 **Mr. L:** We're not here to gamble so get real!

 **All:** Viva Las Vegas!

Viva Las Vegas!

 **Chyna:** Viva Las Vegas with your neon flashing

And your talent for washing

People's hopes down the drain!

 **Isabel:** Viva Las Vegas

I've seen it a million times

And every time it is so fine

It's so strange but, I want to see it again!

 **Blayke:** We're gonna head for the goal

No matter what the toll

 **Logan:** Even if we waste all of our time

If we end up losing

I'll remember that our journey here was still sublime!

 **Mr. L:** Time to give it everything we've got

Lady Luck please let our chance stay hot!

 **Wario:** Since we're in Vegas it's worth every shot!

 **Team Victory II:** Viva Las Vegas!

 **Team Sahara:** Viva Las Vegas!

 **Team Madison:** Viva Las Vegas!

 **All:** Viva!

Viva!

Las Vegas!

And so the musical number ended, and Chef Isabelle turned to the 14 teens once again.

* * *

"Just follow the yellow arrows on the tarmac and you'll head straight to the nearest terminal. You'll find the nearest exit on your own, I'm sure, and from there, you can use whatever mode of transportation you can acquire to get through the city. You will receive no hints and no assistance from me or the camera crew. This is all you.

"Alright, and the challenge begins, right…NOW!"

The three teams dashed off, following the yellow arrows on the ground and heading for the nearest terminal.

* * *

 **Team Victory II…**

Mr. L unrolled the paper that Isabelle had given him. As the team ran along (with Wario noticeably falling behind and trying his hardest to keep up), he read the clue out loud.

"I have four sides and three sides. I'm the oldest structure in all of Casinopolis. I'm the only building in Casinopolis that has a pet. Once you discover what I am, you will get the point."

"OK." Mr. L started, jumping straight into the challenge. "So we're looking for the oldest structure in Casinopolis. Oooooh, what is it? What is it?" He was already slapping his forehead in frustration.

"That's not the kind of question any of us might know, is it?" Rain asked doubtfully.

"We need to find tourist information and ask them."

"Didn't Isabelle say getting help was against the rules?" Wendy asked nervously.

"No, she said that getting help from him or the camera crew is against the rules. We can use any other resources, including the local tourism businesses!"

* * *

 **Team Sahara…**

As the five members of Team Sahara made it out the nearest exit and off towards the taxi cab queue, Rosalina read their clue.

"More gambles happen here than in any casino. I appear regularly on TV. I'm every pirate's dream and nightmare; dream for the treasure and nightmare for the haggling. We've got two Ricks but no Rolls. What am I?"

"Wow. This sounds tough." Mona commented worriedly as they approached a yellow Ford Escape.

"We've got to really think this one through, guys." Rosalina declared firmly as she pulled open the passenger-side door and slid in. Iggy slipped into the middle row, with Katelyn instantly sliding beside him, and Logan and Mona took the back row.

Rosalina turned to her teammates.

"Anyone got some spare cash?"

"I've got some." Iggy quickly reached for his wallet and withdrew a Jackson, passing it to Rosalina, who handed it to the cabbie.

"Where to?" The driver asked as he put down his Stephen King novel – The Shining – and received the bill.

"Uh…" Rosalina turned frantically to her teammates.

"Down the strip!" Logan ordered firmly.

"Traffic's pretty rough down there at this hour." The driver commented. "Hope you don't have to be where you're going in a hurry."

"Don't worry; we've got time." Logan reassured, before sharing a wink with Rosalina.

The Escape pulled out and onto the road, heading down towards downtown just as Team Madison came rushing out, with Blayke reading their clue.

"I reach high into the atmosphere. To find that which you seek, you must climb up me and jump into the sky."

"'Jump into the sky'?" Skyler asked incredulously. "Any ideas?"

She turned back to the rest of her teammates. Toadette was still rapidly texting away on her phone, her speed of texting increasing as the service was sharper and faster in the crowded area, while Isabel was still a bit captivated by the sights.

She turned back to Blayke.

"Got anything?"

"Well, reaching high into the atmosphere implies something that's obviously very tall. So we gotta look for the tallest buildings, or maybe the tallest building, in Casinopolis."

"So we're heading downtown?"

"Bingo. Taxi!"

Blayke waved down the nearest taxi as it approached.


	11. Viva Las Vega Part 2

**Team Madison…**

The taxi cab came to a slow stop in a parking lot, at the base of a massive white tower that shot straight up into the sky, so high that the four teens could barely see the top without straining their necks. It consisted of three legs branching into one halfway up, then spreading out once more towards the top, where a saucer-shaped area was at the top, with a spire on it.

"Here we are." The female cabbie said in a gruff, deep voice. "The Stratosphere tower, hotel, and casino."

"Definitely the tallest building in Casinopolis." Blayke said. "And…'I reach high into the atmosphere'…Atmosphere…Stratosphere." He shook his head. "Makes perfect sense."

"So where do we find our item? It said we must climb up it…" Skyler started.

"…and jump into the sky." Blayke finished.

"Jump into the sky?" The cabbie repeated. "You must be talking about the SkyJump. That's one of the four thrill rides offered at that place. You basically just climb up it and bungee-jump to the ground."

"BUNGEE-JUMP?!" Isabel screeched at the top of her lungs.

In an instant, all four teens were launched out of the cab by the strong driver, whose ears were still ringing from the outburst. With a disgusted look in Isabel's direction, the cab peeled out, burning rubber in the parking lot as it turned a corner and drove on out of sight.

"Nice going, loudmouth." Blayke muttered as he stood up and wiped off the seat of his pants. "We could've learned some more information from her."

Skyler stood up next to Blayke and shared his glare at Isabel. Toadette, still sitting on the ground, was texting away.

"What more could we have learned?" Isabel asked defensively. "We know what building it is, where exactly to find the item, and how to find it! What more do we need?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know…PRICES. HOURS OF OPERATION?" Blayke roared. "Those are crucial, too!"

"Oh, don't worry about money. I've got plenty." She fished out her wallet and waved it at them as she stood up.

"You better have enough."

"I think she does." Toadette spoke plainly as she continued texting.

Everyone stopped and stared at her. She was still rapidly texting, and staring at her phone, but it was clearly her voice.

"I found out all of that information in 7.5 seconds."

She finally stopped texting, stood up, and held the phone out for all to see. On it was the SkyJump official website, displaying all that they needed to know.

"It's open all 7 days a week. The hours are 10 to 1 A.M. on Sunday through Thursday, 10 to 2 A.M. on Friday and Saturday. Each jump costs $109.99, plus tax. The price increases for the various DVD packages, merchandise, etc.…"

The rest of the team was wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

"Toadette…y-you're a genius!" Blayke finally stuttered.

For the first time that day, Toadette smiled and pulled the phone back, returning to her texting.

"I know."

* * *

 **Team Victory II…**

The team had gotten into a taxicab after a few minutes of waving one down, and Mr. L jumped into the passenger seat and was in the driver's face in a moment.

"What's the oldest building in Casinopolis?"

"That's, uh, the Old Casinopolis Mormon State Historic Park."

"English, please."

"It's an old fort up North, a mile away from downtown. It was where the first settlers…"

"We don't need a history lesson, just take us there!"

"Alright, alright, fine. Cash?"

Mr. L turned to his teammates.

"Anyone got a-?"

A Ulysses was tossed at him in a crumpled heap by an annoyed member. He barely noticed the roughness of the gesture and snatched it up, handing it to the cabbie as they sped off.

In the back seat, two seats behind the driver, the girl who had just tossed the bill to Mr. L had her arms folded firmly, a dark, brooding look on her face, and her head turned out the window to keep her eyes off her boyfriend.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Wendy** – I have just about had it. Something is wrong with Matthew. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: He's gotten so much worse. He's almost acting like…like P-…Ugh. I can't even bear to say his name. But I have to do something.

* * *

Leaning over the seat in front of her, looking past Wario and at the back of Mr. L' s head in shotgun, Wendy leaned over close to Rain, who sat next to her.

"Rach."

"Yeah?" She leaned in close to her friend as Rain whispered in her ear.

"You've noticed it, haven't you?"

"That Mr. L' s starting to act…like a jerk?"

"That's a nice way of putting it. A very nice way. We need to do something."

"Like what? It's easy enough to say that we need to do something, but what can we do? And how?"

"We can talk to the others. Wario and Mr. L are really tight, so I'll talk to Wario. The moment you can get Eryn to calm down long enough to listen, talk to her and-."

"Oh, I'm already talking to you."

Both girls sat upright as Chyna's head appeared out of nowhere and was between them in a heartbeat.

"Haha! Gotcha, didn't I?"

"Can you, uh, keep it down?" Wendy asked, glancing over at Mr. L, who was still too focused on the road ahead of them.

"Like this?" Chyna ducked lower in her seat, nearly slumping out of it and with half her body off the seat.

She giggled then sat up straight again.

"Don't worry, I get it. Your sweetheart's acting like a jerk and you wanna do something about it." She whispered to them. "What do you propose to do with him? And I'm not talking about marriage, FYI." Another impish giggle.

Wendy, too concerned with the matter at hand to be annoyed, pondered over this for a while.

"There is…one…solution…" Wendy stumbled to find the words.

Rain's eyes widened slightly as she got the implication. "You don't mean…throwing a challenge, do you?"

Wendy seemed to think about it with some deep thought. Eventually, she shook her head.

"No?" Chyna asked.

"No, I don't know. I mean, I think that might be too harsh. In this game, throwing a challenge could be suicidal."

"True." Chyna agreed. "Look at the last team that was named Team Victory."

"But at the same time, all of these constant wins are really getting to him. The more we win, the harder his fall will be."

"So…what do we do?"

Wendy thought for a while. She glanced first at Mr. L, then at Wario, then at the cabbie.

"Hmm…OK. I say we just play this challenge normally." She responded.

"Normally?"

"We don't throw it. We just play it as if this conversation never happened. See where the chips fall. If we win again, I'll have to have a serious talk with Mr. L. Serious."

"But that gives us permission to play as if we wanted to win?" Chyna asked eagerly. "Like, if I knew something right now that would help us in the challenge, should I say it?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"OK-ee Dok-ee."

She spun around in her seat and threw her arms around the seat in front of her, wrapping her arms around Matthew from behind while putting her head up right beside his.

"HEY L!"

"WAUGH!" He shot up in his seat, his concentration shattered by the sudden grab and yell. After the initial shock settled down, he angrily grabbed the girl's hands off of himself and threw them off, spinning around to face her.

"WHAT?!" He asked angrily.

"We're going the wrong way! Tee-hee!"

"What? Are we?" He glanced at the cabbie, who shot a look back at Mr. L and shook his head for no.

"We're on our way to a Mormon Fort, right?" Chyna asked.

This time, the cabbie responded. "Yes. The Old Casinopolis-."

"That's just it." Chyna interrupted him. "We're going the wrong way."

"But the clue said 'the oldest structure in all of Casinopolis.'" Mr. L repeated.

"Yes, it did. But what about the rest of it? Four sides and three sides? Having a pet?"

"If you have any other suggestions, now would be the ideal time to hear them. Downtown's getting farther away." Mr. L glanced out the window as the buildings around them grew smaller, and the large buildings drew farther and farther away into the distance.

"Think about this. What's the oldest structure in Casinopolis?"

"I said that already." The cabbie, noticeably getting as annoyeInverted L, responded. "The Old-."

"No, no, no, no, no, no. That's the oldest structure here, in Casinopolis."

"Yes…isn't that what the clue means?" Mr. L asked in a frustrated tone.

"No. What it means is the oldest structure represented here in Las Vegas. There's one structure, located in downtown, that's a replica of a structure that makes the Mormon Fort look like a baby. The original version isn't in Casinopolis, but it's thousands of years older than the Fort, Casinopolis, City Kingdom, or any of Soleanna!"

After a few moments, the implications set in.

"A replica…the oldest structure that's replicated here in Casinopolis…" Mr. L pondered. Then his eyes widened.

"THE LUXOR!" He and Chyna shouted simultaneously.

"Cabbie, turn around now! Change of plans. We need to get to the Luxor ASAP!"

"Luxor, sure thing. Let me just hit the nearest turnoff up ahead…"

"What's the Luxor?" Wario asked cluelessly.

Mr. L spun around. "It's the replica of the Inverted Pyramid of Tostarena in downtown Las Vegas. And it fits the description perfectly! Four sides and three sides. Four sides at its base…"

"…and three sides on each side." Chyna finished.

"And it has a pet. The replica of the Sphynx out front!"

"It all makes perfect sense now, doesn't it?" Chyna asked with a grin. "You're lucky I figured that out before you all ended up in some Fort a mile away from town. We would've lost for sure!"

Satisfied, Chyna leaned back in her seat. Wario looked at her stupefied, while Mr. L shook his head.

Rain and Wendy, in the back, shared a nervous glance.

No turning back now.

* * *

 **Team** **Sahara** …

The cab was stuck in the middle of rush hour traffic. All around them, horns honked, advertising trucks for casinos, hotels, and quality booze surrounded them. There were people wandering the sidewalks in all attires, from Elvis impersonators to homeless drunks.

In the driver's seat, the driver was taking full advantage of the dead halt traffic to read his novel intently. He had already flipped three pages, and the light was still red up ahead.

"This. Is. NUTS!" Rosalina exclaimed in frustration. "How are we ever gonna win with this traffic?"

"This gives us all the more time in the world to ponder our clue." Logan replied.

"Well, does anybody have anything? We could pass by it in two seconds right now and we wouldn't know!"

"Well, it said that it's not a casino…" Katelyn started.

"…so that rules out most of the major structures, attractions, and businesses around here." Iggy added.

"Most of the casinos are connected to hotels. I can guarantee you that every hotel in Casinopolis has a casino in it somewhere, so we can pretty much rule out everything in that category, from the Luxor to Mandalay Bay."

"But it has to be some kind of a…tourist attraction, or something." Mary replied. "It said that plenty of gambles happen in it. And that bit about pirates and treasure?"

"Initially, that would imply Treasure Island." Logan stated, gesturing out the window to his left as the familiar structure, complete with two pirate ships in the pools out front, passed by as they bulldozed through the intersection. "But, of course, that's a hotel and casino."

"OK, so that only makes it worse. What could it possibly be?"

"I'm curious about the 'Ricks and no Rolls' clue." Mona added softly. "I mean, what could that mean? A concert hall? A…Uh…"

"It might not necessarily be a reference to Rick Astley." Iggy added. "They could put that in there to throw us off."

"And even then, it said 'two' Ricks." Katelyn reminded them. "So that rules out Rick Astley."

"And no Rolls. So obviously it's not him."

Then the cabbie spoke up as they swerved around to pass a slower car. "You know, I do a lot of these kinds of things. Riddles, crosswords, Sudoku…Mind if I help?"

"Please, be our guest." Logan said politely.

"Well, I won't give it to you straight-up. However, I will give you hints in the form of other riddles and questions. As long as you can get them right, I'll tell you when you're getting warmer. Deal?"

"Why make it even more complicated for u-."

"Absolutely." Logan interjected, interrupting Rosalina's denial.

"Alright. So I've been thinking…Treasure obviously implies two things in particular, right? What are the two most iconic symbols of treasure?"

"Gold and diamonds?" Katelyn asked.

"Gold and silver." Rosalina corrected, with a snide glance at Katelyn, who sneered back.

"Yeah. Gold and silver. And the whole Rick clue…I think I know of the one and only place in Casinopolis that's run by two Ricks. They both have the same last name as the first name of the star of Indiana Jones."

"Harrison Ford?" Iggy asked.

"Yep."

"Rick…Harrison?" Rosalina put the two together.

"Yep. There are two Rick Harrisons in Casinopolis that I know of, and they both run one business."

All five of the teens, getting the obvious clue, responded in perfect unison:

"GOLD AND SILVER PAWN SHOP!"

"That's right! The store on that annoying but highly-rated TV series 'Pawn Stars.' I mean, it's just a guess, but…"

"'Just a guess'? It's perfect! That has to be it!" Rosalina exclaimed excitedly.

"Well, you know the way there I assume?" Logan asked.

"Of course. It's on the edge of downtown, right across the street from the Stratosphere."

"Lead the way, my good taxicab driver." Logan said, leaning back into his seat with a satisfied grin.

"Sure."

The cab continued down the street, drawing closer and closer to the edge of downtown…

* * *

 **Team Madison…**

After pooling together all the money they had on them (plus Blayke's watch and some of Isabel's jewelry), they managed to gain access to the Stratosphere tower. They waited through a long line and a boring safety lecture, before they finally found themselves at the ledge next.

"OK, which one of you kids is going next?" The attendant asked, the harness all ready to go.

Ethan quickly glanced at Toadette and Isabel, the former texting away and the latter biting her long nails nervously.

"Ladies first." Blayke grabbed Isabel by the wrist and pulled her forward.

"What? Wait!"

The attendant already started strapping her into the harness. She looked back at Blayke with a wide-eyed stare.

"Look, I know that you could never grab it yourself, and we only have four shots at this. I just want you to scan the entire wall on your way down; search for it. Search for it, do you understand me? You don't have to grab it if you want, but please just do your best and look for the dang thing! When you get back up here, tell me what you saw and where it is, OK?"

"Uh…sure…" She gulped and looked down over the edge.

"There. Finished." The attendant said curtly. "Get ready and jump whenever you want to."

Isabel looked back at Blayke one more time. He nodded at her, then gestured at the drop below her.

She stepped over to the edge, looked down, gulped once more…

Then, suddenly, a brief gust of wind came up, and that did it.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

 **Team Sahara…**

Logan looked out the window to his right as the massive tower loomed up above him. He thought he could barely see a small form leap off of a ledge higher up, one long cord attached to it and tracing back to the ledge it had departed from.

"That's the Stratosphere?" He asked as he looked back at the cabbie.

"Correct-o. And…here's the pawnshop!"

They turned right and pulled into the small parking lot, with all members of the team crowding to the left side of the cab to see the building. It was a small building with the massive vertical marquee reading "Gold and Silver Pawn."

"Wow. I actually get to see it in person for the first time!" Mona commented.

"The place is usually crowded, but considering that you're here for a reality show, I think they'll see you to wherever it is you need to go."

"Surely." Rosalina agreed.

"Thank you very much for your help." Louis thanked.

"Sure thing, pal." He replied.

With a final wave and an extra tip to the cabbie, the five teens exited the cab and walked up to the sidewalk leading past the front door of the building. Logan opened the door and held it open, allowing his teammates to get in. But just barely.

The store, as the cabbie predicted, was packed. People of all shapes, sizes, races, and age were everywhere, moving in slow lines past glass cases, items on the wall, and some were talking to employees who displayed some special items.

They ran up to the nearest employee: a large, middle-aged man with short brown hair and a lazy look in his eyes.

"Can I help ya?"

"Hi, we're, um, from a reality show called 'Total Drama'…"

"Oh, so you did figure out the riddle." The man commented, raising an eyebrow. "They told us that you kids were too stupid to figure it out, so we wouldn't have to worry about meeting you…"

Several pairs of eyes rolled.

"…but you're actually here. Well, um, OK. Hang on." He turned to the side and yelled across the store. "Hey dad!"

"What is it now, Corey?" A man just as large, and much older, balder, and with only a slight beard, came over to the team.

"The kids from that reality show actually made it."

Rick Harrison Jr. looked at the five teens, eyeing each one of them ominously. "I'll be darned. Nice to meet you, I'm Rick Harrison." He stuck out his hand for quick handshakes with each of the teens.

"Oh, we know who you are." Logan commented, still struck with meeting him in person.

"So, you came for this, did you?" He reached down behind the counter and withdrew a small brown box with a single gilded latch on the front.

"That's our item?" Rosalina asked eagerly as she started to reach for it.

It was jerked away.

"Uh, I beg your pardon, but you've seen my show, haven't you?"

"Of course!"

"Then you know what I do for a living." He placed the box back down. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?"

The implication sank in. The two men grinned.

"Name a price."

"Son of a-."

* * *

 **Team Victory II…**

The cab screeched to a halt in the massive parking lot, the replica of the Sphinx already behind them. Mr. L was the first to bolt out, followed slowly afterward by the other four members of Team Victory II. Wendy tipped the cabbie before climbing out, and the car sped off.

He stared up at the massive structure before them: The Luxor. Standing 365 feet into the air, it was an ideal replica of the pyramids, black all around and with windows lining its sides.

"'You will get the point'." Mr. L quoted from the clue.

He slowly looked up even higher, staring hard at the top of the pyramid.

He thought he saw something.

"Hey, does anyone have some binoculars or something?"

Two seconds later, Chyna whipped out a pair and handed it to Mr. L, who took it nonchalantly, too focused on what was at the top.

"Um, where did you…?" Wario started to ask, but was stopped when Chyna simply looked at him, grinned, and shrugged.

Mr. L slowly turned the dial on the top over to the left, adjusting the focus. The blur slowly transitioned into a crystal-clear image…

"Is that…?"

He peered hard at the object at the top of the pyramid. It came into focus

"IT IS!" He shouted out.

"It's what?"

"It's another stinkin' wooden chest! Just like in Firelula! At the top of the dang pyramid!" He lowered the binoculars. "How can we possibly get up there?"

After a few seconds, everyone turned to Chyna, standing innocently with her hands behind her back.

"Can I help you?"

"Would you happen to be able to know a way up there?"

"Hmm…" Chyna slowly walked up, hands still clasped casually behind her back, as she inspected the base of the pyramid. She knelt down and looked straight up the slope of the pyramid's wall towards the spire at the top.

"Hmm…Mhm…Ah. Perhaps I might be able to…"

She then slowly stepped back, cracked her knuckles, stretched back and popped her back, then crouched down, one leg bent perfectly in a ninety-degree angle at her knee, while her left leg stuck out straight behind her, palms on the ground firmly, tongue sticking out to the side.

Then she bolted. With an unbelievable increase in speed, she dashed as fast as she could, racing straight towards the pyramid. As she approached, she jumped up, grabbed Wario's shoulders with her hands and leapt up onto him to get an extra boost. With a final movement, she propelled herself forward off of him, landing one of her feet directly inWario'sr face and kicking off, sending him flying backwards and to the ground with an "OOF!"

Mr. L looked back from the unconscious Wario to Chyna, flying through the air, and landing on the side of the pyramid, her fingers splayed out and bent, digging into the side of the building, her feet on their tiptoes, pressing firmly against the building and preventing her from sliding down. Without hesitation, she started scampering up the wall like a lizard, unbelievably fast and with an unbelievably tight grip.

Mr. L's look of shock turned to a look of satisfaction, and a grin spread across his face.

"Ho, ho, yes. We're definitely gonna win."

* * *

 **Team Madison…**

The rope retracted inch by inch, until finally, the trembling, babbling form attached to it was visible once again. The attendant helped her to stand on her feet just long enough for him to undo the harness, before he let her drop into the arms of her teammates before her.

"Isabel, are you alright?" Skyler asked with noticeable concern.

"Uuuuuuuhhhhh…" She moaned.

Blayke moved in, lightly brushing Skyler aside.

"Isabel, what did you see? Isabel!"

"Uuuuggghhhhh…"

"Isabel, listen to me!" Blayke grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her. "What did you see? Did you see it?"

"Uuuhhh…" She slowly rolled her head up to look at Blayke. "…On…on the…"

"Yes? Yes?"

"On the…side…of the…"

"Alright kids, come on! Hurry it up! I don't got all day, and there's a line waitin'!" The attendant interrupted impatiently.

"ISABEL! Answer the question now!"

"On the side…of the building…halfway…down."

"Good!" Blayke turned to Toadette. "You're next. I want you to corroborate the location of our item, and fast!"

Toadette didn't respond vocally, but stepped forward to allow the attendant to start attaching the harness to her.

* * *

 **Team Sahara…**

The five teammates were all huddled in a group, pulling out every last crumpled-up dollar bill and piece of change that they could find in their pockets and wallets.

"OK, so what's the tally?" Rosalina asked in a hushed whisper, glancing over her shoulder at the grinning man at the counter.

"Uh…475 American dollars and 62 cents." Mona replied.

"WHA-."

Rosalina's shout was interrupted when Logan quickly placed a hand over her mouth.

"It's not hopeless yet."

"Yes it is!" Rosalina retorted in a harsh whisper. "Have you seen this show? Do you see how this guy works? A person asks for 500 dollars for something, he'll take it for 100! He's so ridiculously cheap! So if we ask for something for 500 dollars, he'll give it to us for 2,500! We'll never get it with only 475 dollars!"

"And 62 cents." Mona added.

"Don't let him know that we have so little." Logan replied calmly. "We'll just fool him into thinking that we have a lot more. A lot more. I've dealt with hagglers like him. I know how to handle him. Mona, you keep the money relatively contained. If he gets a long enough amount of time to look at it, he could add it all up himself. OK?"

"Sure."

"I'll make the first move."

The group broke, and Logan turned and walked up to the counter. Between the two men was the counter and the box sitting on top of it.

"So? What's your price?"

"Oh, good sir, I regret to inform you that we are quite short on cash as it is. Let's just say that we have barely over the two-digit range. Barely."

"Well, I'm sorry, but until you name an exact price, I can't name a price of my own."

"Hmm…" Logan turned back to his teammates.

"What do you say to…100 dollars?"

Rick took a deep breath, looked down slightly, and shook his head. "Sorry, but it'll have to be a little higher."

"Why so, good sir?"

"Why so? Have you seen our economy?"

"Well, considering that I live in Shiveria, no."

"It ain't doing so hot. And, you know, in such an unstable economy, we need to do all we can to earn as much money as possible and lose as little money as possible. You get what I'm saying?"

"Of course, of course. So what do you suggest?"

"500."

Logan turned back to Rosalina. She looked at him, the frantic look now turned to a look of frustration as she mouthed, "I told you so."

Logan looked back. "500 is…quite much. Please, sir. Why not…200?"

"500."

"300?"

"500."

"OK, OK…450?"

"500, kid. Oh, and by the way…how are you raising your price by 100 every time, even though you initially made it out to be that you only had 100 dollars to offer?"

"Um…" Logan looked back to his teammates, whose expressions were just as blank as his amount of answers.

He turned back. "OK, OK. You've caught me. Our amount is 475, and that's the truth. Just please bring it down to 500."

Rick smiled. "You see, I was kinda willing to give you the box if you would just tell me the honest amount up front. But since you lied, I'm gonna have to keep it at 500. But it's a shame, though…You know why? Because I'm a huge fan of you guys, as is Chum. Speaking of which…Hey Corey, where's Chum?"

"He went to get some fried chicken." Corey replied with a chuckle.

"Oh, well that's too bad. He would've loved to see you guys. He's your biggest fan."

Even in the midst of the defeat, Logan perked up at this new revelation.

"Big fan, you say?"

"Sure."

"Hmm…and would you say that, right now, Total Drama is one of the most popular reality shows that's ever existed?"

"I wouldn't go that far, but it's definitely popular." Rick shrugged.

"So…wouldn't you agree that memorabilia from this show will soon have a very large and very generous market?"

"Ah, I suppose so…Why?"

"Then perhaps we can add something else to our total amount." Logan turned and gestured at his teammates.

"Take a look at some of the people on the same team as me. Rosalina and Iggy, two of the most popular contestants in this cast, both of whom have competed in all two seasons so far. And how about myself and Katelyn? We're two of the newcomers. This is the only team with more than one newcomer on it, and I'm sure we'll both be quite popular too. And don't forget Mona over here."

"Mona? Who's that?"

Off to the side, Mona briefly shook with shock, then her shoulders sagged as she facepalmed, more out of shame than annoyance.

Although this sight noticeably upsetLogano, he shook it off. "Um…anyway. I'm willing to give you a fully-autographed package, featuring all five of our signatures. Five of Total Drama Mario's contestants, from one of the series' episodes! Think of the implications! When this episode airs, people all over will be begging for those autographs! And they'll surely pay high, handsome prices."

"Hmm…It does make a lot of sense. I guess it's a good thing Chum isn't here; he'd ask for all those autographs." Rick and Corey chuckled.

"So? Is it a deal, my good sir?"

"Maybe. I just need one more thing…to seal the deal."

"Alright. What might that be?"

"You five, right here, right now, have to agree to split the two million dollars with me if one of you wins."

"WHAT?!" They all exclaimed.

"You heard me." Rick grinned. "Fifty/fifty."

Rosalina facepalmed. "You've GOT to be kidding me! This is just…ridiculous! You're basically asking for ONE MILLION DOLLARS just for that box?!"

"One million, 475 dollars and 62 cents." Mona corrected.

"WHATEVER!" Rosalina shot back. "I say no way! No. Way."

"Then you guys just might be sending one of your own out the Drop of Shame tonight." Rick said with a shrug. He placed a hand on the box and started to pull it away.

"Wait!" Logan called out. "Let us think it over, as a team. Please?"

"Eh, I've got nothing better to do. Plus, this is rather fun."

From nearby, Corey pulled his cell phone away from his ear and grinned at Rick. "Hey, dad. You're gonna love this: I just called Chum and told him that they're here, and he flipped out. He says he dropped his chicken and jumped into his car the moment I told him who it was. He's on his way back right now."

* * *

 **Somewhere else in** **Casinopolis** …

"MUST. MEET. TOTAL. DRAMA MARIO. CONTESTANTS!" Chumlee roared as he sped down the street, the wind whipping his hair after blowing off his hat.

* * *

 **Back at the Pawn Shop…**

"Uh-oh." Rick said in a voice that betrayed no real fear or concern. He turned to the teens. "Might I recommend making a choice quick, before Chum gets here. If he meets you guys, he'll never let you leave."

* * *

 **Team Madison…**

Even as she was brought up, jerking up, then bouncing back down slightly as the rope was pulled in inch by inch, Toadette could still focus on her phone and her phone only.

As she was unstrapped, Blayke approached her.

"Well? What did you see?"

No answer.

"Toadette!"

Nonchalantly, she turned her phone around to face Blayke. On it was a picture that she had taken on the way down. It was fairly blurry, but still unmistakable: A dark, square object attached to the white façade of the building, apparently by crude duct tape. She then flicked her fingertip across the screen, moving to the next picture, taken on the way up: The same object, slightly more in-focus and recognizable: A black box, with the duct tape running across it to keep it attached to the side of the building.

"O…OK. Nice work, Toadette."

Blayke turned to the remaining member of his team.

"Skyler? Please do the honor of being the first member of the team now to actually try to retrieve it."

"Me?" She asked in shock. "Retrieve it? But it's duct-taped to the building! How can I get that off?"

"You wait until they start to pull you back up, then reach for it. Grab onto the edges, hook your fingers under it, and then pull."

"OK, but what if I pull too hard, and it falls off, and I lose my grip?"

"Then we get back down to the base of the tower and get it. It's impossible to lose it now, we just need to get it in our hands."

"OK…I'll try."

Skyler stepped up as the attendant prepared the harness.

Ding-ding!

At that moment, a familiar gruff voice crackled on over all three teams' walkie-talkies.

"Musical reprise time!" Isabelle shouted.

* * *

 **Musical Reprise** – **Hurry Up**

 **Iggy:** The time we have is a-tick-tockin' by

Yeah, tick-tockin' by so fast

We don't have much time left to make this deal

And we don't wanna come in last!

 **Mr. L** : We've got this in the bag and we can't lose it now!

To win once more, that'd make me so proud

 **Blayke** : We've got to get that box, and you (points to Skyler) know how!

 **Mr. L, Rain, and Wendy:** Hurry…up, Chyna!

 **Team Sahara:** Hurry…up, Logan!

 **Skyler:** How I wish that we had more

More time and more people for this jump!

'Cause rather than take on this big risk, I'd prefer to jump into a dump!

 **Mr. L** : Oh, just come on, Chyna, pick up the pace!

It's so important that we claim first place!

 **Skyler** : I just hope that I don't land on my face! (Jumps off screaming)

 **Team Sahara:** Hurry…up, Logan!

 **Team Madison:** Hurry…up, Skyler!

 **Chyna:** I love Casinopolis with their tall, tall buildings

And its tingling feelings

That those lights put in your soul!

I can see the whole city, and boy it looks so pretty, oh, so, so pretty

If you could see it from up here, you'd never be the same again!

 **Logan:** We've got to make our choice now, gotta get us that box, if it costs us our very last dime!

If we wind up broke, but up in first-class, it'll be worth all of our time!

It's now or never, so let's just say yes

No other option will I suggest

Trust me, Rosalina, it's for the best, so…

 **Team Sahara:** Hurry…up, Rosalina!

 **Team Madison:** Hurry…up, Skyler!

 **Mr. L, Wendy, and Rain:** Hurry…up, Chyna!

 **Team Sahara:** Hurry…

 **Team Madison:** Hurry…

 **All:** Up, right now!

End Musical Reprise

* * *

"Great job, all ya'll!" Isabelle replied over the walkie-talkie. "But…"

"'But'?" Mr. L shot back with a hint of anger and shock mixed together in his voice. "What do you mean, 'but'? We sang, didn't we?!"

"Er, not all of ya."

"Huh?"

"It's time now to declare the first person in this season eliminated due to No-Singing Rule!" Isabelle declared.

"WHAT?!" Every single contestant roared back.

"How?"

"Who?"

"This is ridiculous! Everyone sang, so what gives?"

"Again, not everyone." Isabelle replied flatly. "I am aware that one member of everyone's favorite winning-streak team failed to sing even once."

"But…but…"

The walkie-talkie slipped from Mr. L's hands as his eyes widened in realization. He spun around and looked past Rain and Wendy.

At Wario.

He was still lying on the ground, out cold from when Chyna accidentally kicked him in the face.

"No…Wario!"

"Bingo, bright boy! Chubby is OUTTA HERE!"

"NO! It's not fair!" Mr. L shot back. "He was knocked out! It wasn't his fault!"

"The rule does not exempt people who are 'knocked out,' as you say. Regardless of why or how he was unable to sing, the fact is that he failed to sing. So, by Rule #371 of the Total Drama Mario handbook, Wario is automatically eliminated!"

"NO!" Mr. L, Rain, and Wendy all shouted back.

"You've got to give him a second chance!" Wendy insisted.

Warior, wake up! WAKE UP!" Mr. L roared, grabbing his larger friend by the shoulders and shaking him. "I said MOVE IT!"

Just then, a familiar golf cart came speeding up to the team in the parking lot. They all looked up and saw Carl in the driver's seat.

"Sorry, guys. Boss's orders; I gotta take your friend out of here and back to the Jet."

"WARIO! WAKE YOUR FAT BEHIND UP!" Mr. L roared.

His eyelids fluttered, and Wario uttered a sound that was a mix between a gargle and a groan.

"Urckgh…huzzwhuh?"

"WARIO! You were out cold when we did the musical reprise! You didn't sing!"

"I did a zing?"

"YOU. DIDN'T. SING!"

The golf cart was now directly behind Wario. Carl stepped out and lightly brushed Mr. L aside. Kneeling down next to Wario, Carl spoke in a much more soothing voice.

"Come on, there, big fella. Let's head on back to the Jet, OK?"

"Diz we won?"

"Everything will be explained when we get back, just get in the golf cart."

"Ogay."

Mr. L stepped back and watched in pure shock, his breathing sped up significantly as Wario was slowly helped up to his feet and eased into the passenger side of the golf cart. Carl walked around to the driver's seat. With one last glance back at the two girls and one guy, he shook his head and started up the cart.

Just as it turned around and began to speed off out of sight, Mr. L unleashed another roar of fury.

* * *

 **Team Sahara…**

"Alright, we have very few options left, friends." Logan reported. "I've seen this show. He's not going to give up. He knows that he has us under his thumb, and we have no leverage here. I say we agree to the split."

"And I say you're nuts. If I were to win, I'd never split it with him. He's filthy rich already!"

"Regardless. What matters is right now. And right now, we need to avoid coming in last place." An idea struck. "Seeing as how you're the only one who refuses to agree to the split, how well do you think you would fare in the face of elimination?"

Her look of anger flushed out completely as fear took hold. Her eyes went wide. "What?" She replied in a squeak.

"Yeah!" Katelyn added. "If we lose today because you don't want to agree to some deal with an old man…"

"Hey!" Rick yelled.

"…you'll pay the price."

Rosalina swallowed. She glanced at Logan, who looked back at her with an unreadable look, with barely detectable tones of seriousness. She didn't dare look at Katelyn, who now had an evil, greedy look in her eyes, obviously enjoying the idea of voting off Rosalina. She glanced at Mona, who looked once at Logan, then back at Rosalina. Iggy did the same.

"Ugh…fine."

"Excellent."

Logan turned back to Rick, tapping one finger casually on the glass countertop.

"You've got yourself a deal, good sir."

"OK, great. So let me see that money, and you can get this box."

"Of course." Logan placed the crumpled-up bundle of cash on the counter, sliding most of it over towards Rick. Rick responded by sliding the box across the glass towards Logan.

"A pleasure doing business with you." Rick said with a grin as he pocketed the money.

Just then, Isabelle's voice crackled back over the walkie-talkies.

"Attention, all contestants! It is my pleasure to announce that a team has emerged victorious at long last!"

"YES!" All five members of Team Sahara cheered, jumping up and down, hugging, and sharing hi-fives all around.

"Congratulations to our latest winner…TEAM VICTORY II!"

Silence fell over the five rejoicing teams.

"…What?" Iggy replied in a squeaky, half-hearted voice.

"In a split-second victory ahead of Team Sahara, the psycho blonde managed to retrieve Team Victory II's item from the top of the Luxor pyramid first! Congratulations on avoiding having to vote out one of your own tonight, Team Victory II and Team Sahara!"

"YES! OH, YEAH! UH-HUH! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! BOO-FREAKIN'-YAH!" Mr. L cheered out in wild celebration, his anger and sadness over Wario's sudden exit dissipating in a second.

Groans arose from the other two teams, accompanied by hanging heads and sagging shoulders.

"Argh! Again? Really? Really?!" Blayke roared out in fury, smacking his forehead repeatedly.

Just then, Skyler finally came back up to the ledge, clutching the box in her hands.

"Hey, hey guys! I got it! I actually managed to get it!"

"Oh, congratulations, Skyler. We came in last." Blayke muttered, shaking his head.

Her look of excitement and pride in her accomplishment vanished. "What?"

"Team Victory II won…AGAIN." Isabel explained, clearly just as infuriated as Blayke.

"Oh…" Skyler hung her head, looking down at the box she had just retrieved. "And right after I finally did something right…"

* * *

 **Team Sahara...**

"Oh, come on! This close?! THIS. CLOSE?!" Rosalina roared. "They STILL beat us?! What does fate have against us that allows us to lose every single time?! WHY?!"

"Hey, at least we came in second, right?" Mona offered as half-hearted comfort.

"She's right. Let's just accept the fact that at least we didn't lose completely. That's what's important." Logan agreed.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt your moment here, but you guys might wanna peel out. Fast." Corey advised. "Don't forget; Chum is on his way, and determined to meet you guys."

"Right. No time to wallow in our sorrow. Let's go." Logan quickly added.

And with that, the five teens trudged out the door.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – So here we are again, facing elimination. For the first time, I find myself truly torn between who to vote for. On the one hand, we have Lauren: Annoying, whiny, complaining, very rarely doing something to help the team, and, most recently, getting us thrown out of a taxicab. On the other hand, Toadette: Often does little to nothing, but is surprisingly talented with that phone of hers. That's twice now she's managed to use her phone to help us in the challenge; first in the Luminous Forest, then here in Casinopolis. Of course, her greatest strength is also her weakest disadvantage: Anything goes wrong with the phone, she drops it, or "EEK! There's no service!", and she becomes just as much dead weight as Isabel.

Naturally, I got rid of dead weight such as Susan to better improve our team's chances of winning. I got rid of threats like Madison in preparation for the merge. I guarantee you now that the merge is probably about three, maybe four episodes away, if we're lucky. Voting off Toadette could weaken our team further, while voting off Isabel would be eliminating a non-threatening player while strengthening our team.

So, who's going home tonight? Well, of course, I'll tell Isabel to vote for Toadette and Toadette to vote for Isabel, for all of the respective reasons mentioned above. But in the end, it all comes down to who me and Skyler vote for. It's gonna be tough, but…

* * *

The four remaining members of Team Madison sat on the bleachers once again, all except for the lone male looking nervous. Skyler repeatedly crossed her legs, uncrossed them, then crossed them over the opposite way, while Blayke leaned back with his hands behind his head. Toadette, as always, was dutifully texting away, while Isabel was nervously glancing between the mountainous man on the stage and the platter of Barf Bags beside him.

"Team FemiNazi, you have lost once again, for the second time in a row. You all know the drill, you cast your votes, you receive a Barf Bag, the person who doesn't gets to take a funny fall. So…let's get on with it!"

* * *

 **A few minutes later…**

"The votes have been cast. The first Bag goes to…"

Blayke and Skyler shared a glance.

"…Blayke."

Blayke caught his Bag, then gave Skyler a slight grin of reassurance.

"Skyler."

"Toadette and Isabel. It comes down to the two of you. Both of you can be completely useless. You…" She pointed at Isabel. "…are a whiny and annoying little witch, while you…" She pointed at Toadette. "…are willing to drop everything if you lose a bit of your precious reception."

Isabel, naturally, gave a scoff of offense while Toadette simply shrugged.

"Whichever one of you it is, I'd sure hate to be you taking this particular fall. As we continue moving west, we're moving out over the desolate Desert Falls. It's sure to be hot down there, and anywhere from 5 to 10 hours to the nearest form of civilization…by foot.

"So, while I'm sure it was a tough choice, the final Barf Bag goes to…"

"…Toadette!"

The texter held a single hand out to catch the Bag, while the other hand remained tapping away on the phone.

The prom queen was, to say the least, devastated.

"WHAT?!" She screeched, causing Isabelle, Blayke, and Skyler to cover their ears. "BUT, BUT YOU CAN'T! YOU NEED ME! YOU NEED MY GLAMOR! YOU NEED MY PERFECT TASTE OF FASHION! YOU NEED…YOU NEED…"

"You need to get out of here." Blayke said firmly. "At least Samantha's phone obsession can come in handy from time to time. You're just garbage."

She nearly exploded, her face turning red and a single vein bulging in her forehead. Her fists clenched tightly, her over-expensive nails digging into her palms.

"WHY YOU DIRTY FILTHY SCUMMY LITTLE…"

Her rampage was cut off when Isabelle, standing behind her, grabbed her by the shoulders. Her rage instantly vanished as her eyes widened with fear.

"WAIT! NO! CAN YOU AT LEAST WAIT UNTIL WE'RE OVER A CITY? …Or at least Sky Kingdom?"

Isabelle spun around and prepared to throw her out the door.

"ACK! NONONONONONONO!"

"Oh, relax, kid. I wasn't about to throw you out without a parachute…"

"You better not have." Isaby muttered.

"You'll get a parachute, alright…that you must share with our other victim tonight!"

At that moment,Warioi, ushered out from behind the stage's curtain by Carl, trudged up to the door, parachute in hand.

"I guess this is really it, isn't it?"

"You better believe it, fat boy."

And with that, Isabelle grabbed Wario by the shirt collar and heaved him out the door (albeit with quite some effort), also releasing his grip on Isabel and tossing her out as well.

"Enjoy the desert!" He shouted down after them.

Isabel's shrill screech and Wario's deep roar both shrank away rather quickly as they flew out the door and fell away from the Jet, tumbling down towards the steaming desert below.

"Phew!" Isabel muttered as he wiped his brow. "There goes the most annoying one." She turned to face the camera.

"Will Team Madison be able to pick up the pace and regain momentum, or will they be the next Team Victory? And what will become of Mr. L and his relationship with the rest of his team now that his closest friend is gone? Find out next time, on Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

* * *

 **Voting Confessionals**

 **Lauren** – Well,Blayke told me that he and Skyler will vote for Toadette, since her obsession with that phone could cost us another challenge like it did in Stormkyo. So, see ya later, text-a-holic! (Stamps Toadette's passport)

 **Toadette** – (Stamps Isabel's passport)

 **Skyler** – Blayke said that he really had to think it over, but he ultimately decided on Isabel instead of Toadette. To me, they're both pretty bad, and as long as I'm not the one up for elimination, I'm fine with it. So… (Stamps Isabel's passport)

 **Blayke** – Like I said, the merge isn't probably for a good three or four more episodes. I would prefer to take at least two other teammates with me to the merge, and we have a better chance of doing that with Toadette than with Isabel. (Stamps Isabel's passport)

 **Voting** **Results**

 **Isabel – Toadette**

 **Blayke –** **Isabel**

 **Skyler –** **Isabel**

 **Toadette –** **Isabel**

* * *

 **Total Votes**

 **Lauren – 3**

 **Samantha – 1**

 **Elimination Order:Tanooki Mario, Chyna, Madison, Pauline, Susan, Wario,** **Isabel**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

"So, what exactly is the deal with these boxes?"Chyna asked in curiosity, turning the box around several times in her hands as she inspected it.

"I don't know, but as long as it got us invincibility, I don't care." Mr. L said as he reclined in one of the large yellow chairs. "Besides, Isabelle said she'd tell us when to open it."

Just then, Isabelle's voice came over the intercom.

"Alright, everyone! It's time for the grand reveal! You may each open up the boxes that your team retrieved today!"

"Oh, boy!" Chyna shouted in excitement, instantly flipping open the gilded latch and tossing the lid open.

A single spurt of purple paint shot out, splattering all over her face.

Down in economy-class, a similar action happened to both Rosalina and Blayke, respectively.

A very satisfied laugh tore over the intercom.

"ISABELLE!" The three teens roared.

* * *

 **Gold and Silver Pawnshop…**

Corey had just finished straightening out the money from the shop's latest deal and sorted it into the various drawers of the nearest register when a set of tires screeched outside.

In an instant, the glass door was flung open, and a panting, sweating, fast-talking Chumlee burst in.

"To…To…Tota…Total…Drama Mario…cast? Where…?"

"Gone." Corey said flatly, without even looking up from the register.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"


	12. Silence is the Red Gate Bridge Part 1

''Last time on Total Drama Mario World Tour: Our three teams were sent on a VERY wild goose chase that sent them across, up, down, left, right, around, and through Sin City itself; Casinopolis, City Kingdom. They drove down freeways, climbed pyramids and observatories, negotiated with ruthless pawn shop owners, and gave it their all.

"But, despite all odds and efforts from the other two teams, Team Victory II pulled off yet another win, courtesy of that psychotic nutjob, who has a talent for climbing up pyramids.

But their victory came at a severe price; due to being the only one to not sing in the musical reprise, that 315 pound bag of joy Wario was given the shaft, alongside Prom Queen when Team Madison had to boot one of their own, resulting in the season's second double elimination.

"We've got yet another highly-populated, crowded, and crazy destination ahead of us that just might put Casinopolis to shame after all. Where are we going? What will the challenge be? Find out, right here, right now, on Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

* * *

 **Economy-class…**

"Your move." Logan said casually.

Blayke stared at the board hard, trying to evaluate his position. There was, of course, a Rook on A-4 that was ripe for the taking…but then his Knight would be dead, courtesy of Logan's Bishop, crouching in wait…But if he didn't move the Knight now, he wouldn't get another shot at the Rook.

With one calm movement, he lifted the horse up and casually knocked the Rook off the board, placing it down in its place. Logan picked up the dead Rook and placed it alongside his other late soldiers in the game.

"Just as I expected."

Then, before it was even began, Logan's next move was over. His Bishop had taken out the Knight.

Likewise. Blayke thought with a grin.

After Blayke casually moved a Pawn two spaces forward, Logan began positioning his Bishop so that it could intercept Blayke's King.

Blayke, seeing this, finally moved his all-important King up and to the right by one spot.

Logan grinned as Blayke tried to evade him so obviously, and his Bishop continued the pursuit.

"So, got any ideas for a strategy?" Blayke asked casually.

"Why, yes…I'm going to chase your King all over this board if I have to, but you're still going to lose sooner or later."

"That is a good one, but I was talking about the game." Blayke moved his King up and to the left. Logan's Bishop mirrored him.

"Oh…well, what can we do at this point in the game? I mean, while we're still separated into teams? These challenges more recently have involved the teams being separated from each other, so there's not much we can do to…sabotage Team Victory II, if that's what you were thinking."

"I was thinking that. Exactly, I might add." Another move up and to the left. The Bishop pursued him.

"Emphasis on was. I think now, the strategy has just changed."

"Changed? How so?"

"Clearly, Team Victory II is unstoppable. Whether it's Mr. L's blind determination or Chyna's unpredictable moments of godplaying, they're the ultimate team. At this point, all we can do is play along."

Another flanking movement by both pieces.

"Play along?"

"Play along." Blayke repeated. "Let them win all they want. But the fact is, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. You get what I'm saying?"

"I…I think so."

"The more they win, the more over-confident they get in themselves. Right?"

"Of course."

"Well, if we play along and lead them all to believe that they truly can't be stopped, they'll develop a false sense of security. At some point in time, I guarantee you, they won't even be trying anymore."

"And your point is?"

"Fool them, my friend. Fool them. Lead them on."

The King was now nearly on the opposite end of the board. Logan's Bishop was right behind it.

"They win, we lose, they win, we lose…the monotony of the pattern will be drilled into their minds so that they become automatons. Just when they've lost any belief in the very idea of losing…just when they've fallen into the charade set up by us and by themselves…we strike."

And then, before Louis even knew it, Blayke's King struck out and knocked Logan's King off the board.

"Game." Blayke's said smoothly.

"WHAT?" Logan yelped, startled. He glanced back and forth between where his King had been and where his Bishop was. "But…But…Oh, curses! How did I not see that?"

"Our strategy must be like this game of chess, my friend." Blayke stated. "We let them chase us all over the place with their constant wins. Make them think we're on the run, that we're at their mercy, lead them through a constant pattern…and then strike. It will be a true Checkmate."

Logan, after accepting his loss, looked back up at Blayke, who was now grinning.

"The Checkmate is coming, my friend. The Checkmate is coming."

* * *

 **First-class…**

Mr. L was sipping his umpteenth Dr. Pepper with one hand, and holding a chocolate-chip cookie in the other.

"Ah. This is the life, eh Wario?"

No response.

"Wario?"

L turned his head to the left at the seat next to him. It was empty. He looked straight ahead at the two seats across from him and facing him, one of which was almost always occupied by his large friend. For a moment, he thought he could actually see the pressed-down area in the middle of the seat from where Wario's weight had been not too long ago.

"Oh, right." He took another long, thoughtful sip. "No one to enjoy the fifth victory in a row with." A bite of the cookie. "You know, I kinda miss his…his…oafiness." He swallowed the portion of cookie. "He was a bit klutzy and dimwitted, but he was still…fun, to have around." He glanced up at the seat across from him, still empty.

He sighed.

* * *

 **30 minutes** **later** …

It was not long before the Jet began to descend, with the drop in altitude and the lifting of the cloud cover drawing all attention to the nearest windows.

Below them was a massive city, with several larger islands here and there, and a massive bay both inside and around the city. There was a particularly clustered area nearby with numerous tall buildings, including one that looked like a very thin pyramid.

"Hey! This place looks familiar! But I just can't put my finger on it…" Mona started, scratching her head as she looked out the window.

"Isn't that the Red Gate Bridge?" Skyler added, pointing to the all-too familiar red bridge nearby.

"It sure is!" Iggy confirmed. "And look! There's the Bay Bridge, and the TransAmerica Pyramid, and Alcatraz, and…"

"CELESTIAL SKYWAY?! SOLEANNA AGAIN?! BLARGH IT ALL!" Blayke roared in fury, slamming his fists into the metal wall. "WHY?! WHY!? JUST WHEN I THOUGHT OUR STOPS IN THIS COUNTRY COULDN'T GET WORSE! LIBERAL CAPITAL OF THE WORLD! HOMELESS CENTRAL! VAGABOND NATION! CRAZY CITY! WHY?!"

"Celestial Skyway." Mr. L said flatly. He shook his head slightly, and his mouth was caught between a flat line and a crooked grin. "Figures. If you had just held on for one more episode, Wario, you'd be where you wanted to be."

"That's right, ladies! You're in the one, the only, the nutty, Celestial Skyway, Sky Kingdom! We'll be landing shortly, where a bus will take us to our next location for today's challenge!"

* * *

 **Several hours later…**

The bus finally arrived, and when the doors opened, the 12 teens were all too eager to throw themselves out onto the pavement and into the fresh air, landing just outside the bus doors in a pile.

"UGH! FINALLY!" Blayke muttered.

"That traffic was horrible!" Rosalina commented.

"Lost Valley, New Donk City, Green Hill, and Bubblaine have got NOTHING on this place." Rain chimed.

"I'll never understand why Wario wanted to come here." Mr. L muttered.

Then Isabelle stepped out of the bus, casually stepping on a few of the teens, which elicited crunches, cracks, and groans from the group. The host approached the red railing nearby, placed both hands on it, and looked out over the bay below her. She inhaled long and deeply through her nose, then exhaled slowly out her mouth.

"Ah. Celestial Skyway. You gotta love it and hate it at the same time." He turned around to face the teens, most of whom were finally getting to their feet. "Welcome to Celestial Skyway's main attraction: The Re Gate Bridge. We are standing at the base of the Bridge's north tower. This is where the first half of your challenge will be."

As he spoke, three of the interns stepped off the bus, each carrying a coiled-up bungee cord with metal hooks at the end, each with three curved prongs. They walked past him up to the red railing and began latching the hooks onto the railings, then looping the cords around the railing once to secure it.

"Oh, no! Not more bungee-jumping!" Skyler cried.

"You better believe it!" Isabelle shot back. "For today's challenge, you will be pushing yourselves to your physical and mental limits, and will do so utilizing two of Celestial Skyway's biggest landmarks! First, each team will select one member to be the bungee-jumper, where you will jump off the side of the bridge towards the bay below. On the surface of the water just below the bridge are three buoys, each marked with each team's flag. Attached to said buoys are a ring of keys that each of you must retrieve.

Once you retrieve the keys first, you must then jump back down and retrieve three wooden oars, and then retrieve the yellow bundle that is also on the buoy. That bundle is an inflatable raft. Once you have successfully retrieved all five items, the three teams must use the rafts to travel across the bay to that island!"

Isabelle pointed out across the bay towards a small, familiar island further inland, surrounded by water. Several large, blank, dull, and gray structures were situated in the center of the island, with a lighthouse peaking on one side and a water tower on the other.

"Alcatraz Island itself. You must paddle all the way to that island, and from there disembark and head into the bowels of the abandoned prison itself. Somewhere in there is a cell that will have your team's logo next to it. You must unlock it using one of the keys on your key ring. First team to unlock their cell wins. The second team to do so wins…second place. And you know the drill for whichever poor saps come in third.

"So, you each get one minute to decide which one will be the bungee-jumper. And here's a heads-up: Whoever is the bungee-jumper is automatically in charge of the key ring, cannot participate in the rowing, and is the only one who can unlock the cell."

Over on Team Victory II, Mr. L was quick to assume command once more.

"OK, so I think it's quite obvious who our bungee-jumper should be."

The other three members all gave him blank stares in response.

"You mean…you don't know?"

"Um, we're looking at you, aren't we?" Rain responded.

"What? No! I was talking about her." He jerked a finger in Chyna's direction.

"Moi?" Chyna responded, pointing a finger at herself.

"You're crazy enough, aren't you? You held onto a trailer in the middle of a tornado, you climbed a pyramid, I'm sure you can bungee-jump off the Red Gate Bridge."

After a pause, Chyna shrugged. "Eh, why not?"

"Good. Just be sure to take good care of those keys and don't lose them." L added with a glare.

"Oh, don't worry about them. I can take my time naming each and every one of them on the way over!"

* * *

Over on Team Sahara, Rosalina took on a similar role as L.

"OK, so we can rule him out." Rosalina declared right off the bat, pointing at Iggy.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Oh, thank heavens!"

"Wait, why?" Katelyn asked, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at Rosalina.

"Oh, no. Please…" Iggy started.

"Do you want me to spell it out for you? He's weak! He can't do it! And besides, you just heard him say 'thank heavens' when I said he can't do it. That means he doesn't want to anyway!"

"Yes, yes, please. I don't want to. Now can we get on with-?"

"I still take offense to that comment, missie! What, are you gonna rule me out next because I'm an animal-lover?"

"I'm tempted to. You'd be worried about accidentally hitting a fish with our oars as we paddle across the bay."

"Well who's gonna do it? You? Little Miss Perfect?"

"Why I ought to…"

"Enough." A voice cut in.

Four of them looked at the one who had uttered the single word.

Logan stood firmly aside from the others, arms crossed and glaring at the two girls. "Look, if we're ever going to get anywhere as a team, we've got to learn how to cooperate. Correct?"

"That's what I've always been saying!" Rosalina jumped in. "But this animal freak keeps stepping in and-."

"Look at you, Miss I-Always-Have-To-Criticize-People!"

"I said enough."

Logan didn't even raise his voice, but just the sheer power in the way he said the word was enough to silence them both.

"The fact is, if either of you are the bungee-jumper, the other will surely be criticizing the other nonstop and throwing off their concentration. So it can't be either of you, and we already know it won't be Iggy. I'll do it."

"You sure?" Mona asked, slightly worried.

"Of course. I have to set an example. Hopefully then, the rest of my teammates will see how they should be participating in a task if they ever need to do so."

* * *

And on Team Madison, a similar situation took place.

"OK, so I'm just gonna make it very clear right now; I'm gonna be the bungee-jumper. Complaints?" Blayke declared.

The only response was Skyler's quick shake of her head and Toadette's texting.

"OK, good. But that means that I can't paddle, so I have to trust you two to be fast with those oars, OK? We have only three people left; we can't afford to lose again. Got it?"

The only response was Skyler's quick nod and Toadette's texting.

"OK, good."

"TEAMS! You made your decisions?"

Three nearly-simultaneous "Yes's" responded.

"I shall be the bungee-jumper for Team Sahara." Logan reported, stepping forward.

"I'm the bungee-jumper for Team Madison." Blayke similarly stated.

"And IIIIIIIIIIII'M Team Victory II's jumpeRRRRRRRRR!" Chyna sang out.

"O…K…" Isabelle replied, a little stunned by the spontaneity of the last response. "So jumpers, hook yourselves up and be ready to jump on my go."

* * *

 **5** **minutes later** …

"Alright! Jumpers ready?"

"Ready on Team Sahara!"

"Ready on Team Madison!"

"Team Victory II is OK to go!"

"On your mark…" Isabelle raised her starting pistol. The three jumpers, who had been standing on the safe side of the red railing before, now climbed up onto the bar, crouched like tigers waiting to pounce.

"Get set…" She pulled the pistol's hammer back, slipping one finger around the trigger.

"GO!" She pulled the trigger, the shot rang out, and the challenge began.

"COWABUNGA!" Chyna roared as she leapt off.

"Alack, there lies more peril in this dive than in 20,000 swords!" Logan declared as he jumped.

"Here goes nothing!" Blayke declared, slipping off and tumbling down.

As the three jumpers fell, the three buoys became visible just underneath the bridge. Each was a red cone, bouncing back and forth on the waves, with the bell constantly ringing. And, sure enough, lined up around the base of the buoys were the five items, attached to the body of the buoy by Velcro straps.

Right off the bat, Team Victory II was off to a good start. On her first jump, Chyna extended her right hand and managed to slip a few fingers around the key ring. When the rope jerked back and sent her flying up, it allowed her to easily yank the key ring off the buoy, the keys rattling in her hand as she did so.

Once Chyna was level with the bridge and her teammates, she held up the key ring proudly, rattling it much like one would rattle keys to entertain a baby.

"I GOT 'EM! I GOT THE KEYS!"

"Throw 'em over!" L ordered.

At the very peak of her bounce, just before she began to fall back down, she launched the keys across the gap. The ring landed right in L's hands, and he was quick to wrap his fingers around it and jerk it away from the edge of the railing, bringing it to safety at last.

"Awesome. Keep it up!" He yelled back to her.

Chyna gave a thumbs-up and devilish grin just before she fell back down out of sight.

* * *

Meanwhile, over on Team Sahara, Rosalina and Mona were acting as the catchers and waiting for Logan to toss them the key ring. Off to the side, the other two teammates were sharing yet another awkward moment.

Iggy was standing at the very base of the north tower, looming high above him so much that it made his neck hurt looking up at it.

"Whoa. Look at this quality architecture. Seventy-five years old, and still as beautiful and architecturally sound as ever."

"Whatcha doin'?" Katelyn asked casually, popping up rather suddenly beside him.

"Ah!" Iggy yelped from her sudden appearance. "Uh…not much. Just observing the fine modern wonder that surrounds us. Probably something you wouldn't be interested in."

He tried to turn his attention back to the structure, but Katelyn wasn't going to let him get away.

"You're right. But you know what I would be interested in?"

After a few awkward seconds with no response from Iggy, Katelyn continued anyway.

"Seagulls! Oh! And look up there! There's a great big flock of them now!"

As Iggy was already looking up to admire the Bridge's architecture, he couldn't help but glance over to the side briefly enough to see the flock she was referring to. Sure enough, a group of about 20 seagulls was passing over the Bridge at that moment.

"Ah…seagulls. So sleek and graceful as they soar through the crisp, salt-watery air, aren't they? Just listen to the sounds the make."

For a very brief moment, Iggy couldn't help but listen to the squawking of the birds overhead. Indeed, it was a sound that fit in very well with the environment, and actually drew his attention away from the Bridge and the challenge for the moment…

Then, in an instant, a steaming white substance landed right on his face, mostly on his left eye and left cheek.

"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Nearby, Mona glanced back at the sound of Igy's scream, only to see what the cause was. With a grin on her face, she shook her head and turned her attention back to the railing just as Logan bounced up and tossed the first oar to them. She extended both hands and caught the piece of wood, setting it down alongside the key ring.

"Ugh. The very sound of him annoys me." Rosalina muttered.

"You gotta admit, though; that was pretty funny." Mona added with a chuckle.

"Yeah. But those two holding us back in nearly every challenge isn't. Look, I'm not trying to be a constant downer or anything, but I'm just focusing on the important fact: The longer those two are on our team, the better our chances of losing are. You get what I'm saying?"

"I…I think so."

"Good. Listen, Mona…" Rosalina walked up to Mona and, in a briefly surprising gesture, put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry if I come across as mean, controlling, nit-picky, or whatever. But you can understand where I'm coming from, right?"

Mona looked at the hand on her shoulder, then back at Rosalina. "Yeah."

"Good. I just want what's better for the team, you know? And, in all honesty, I think that you, me, and Logan…"

"CATCH!"

Rosalina stopped in mid-sentence and ran back up to the railing just in time to catch the second oar as Logan tossed it to them. She easily caught it and laid it down on the ground alongside their first oar and the key ring.

"As I was saying. You, me, and Louis together would make a great team. All we need to do is deduct two…er, variables from the equation. Right?"

"I guess so." Mona shrugged and glanced back at Iggy, still running around in circles with the steaming white substance on his face, screaming uncontrollably, while Katelyn tried unsuccessfully to calm him down. "Oh, you're definitely right."

"I know. Let's just at least try to get through this challenge, though. But if we lose…then we make our move. OK?"

"Alright…"

"And Team Victory II has retrieved all five of their items first!" Isabelle declared. "You may now inflate your raft, lower it and the oars down into the water, and then use the bungee cord to slide down to the raft. Once all of your members are inside, you may began paddling."

"SWEET!" Mr. L cheered. "Let's go, everyone! Stat!"

"Alrighty!" Chyna replied. She then grabbed the red handle on the side of the yellow bundle and gave a quick, firm yank. The raft instantly opened up with a loud hiss as it began to inflate.

"Darn it!" Rosalina muttered. She ran back up to the red railing and leaned over it. "LOGAN! Hurry it up! Team Victory II is already getting ready to start rowing over to the island!"

Her response was Logan's form bouncing right back into her line of vision, the third and final oar in hand.

"I have only one item left, and then we can catch them!" He yelled as he tossed the third oar across the gap to Rosalina.

* * *

Over on Team Madison, a similarly-panicked reaction appeared.

"Argh! You've got to be kidding!" Blayke roared. At that time, he was bouncing back up with the first oar in hand, and tossed it across the rail. As Toadette was too preoccupied with her phone, Skyler had to catch it just as she caught the key ring. And, naturally, it did not turn out too well for her.

"We've got to hurry up or we'll lose…AGAIN!" Blayke shouted just before he fell back down.

* * *

Meanwhile, Team Victory II was in the process of putting their raft together.

Once it was completely open, L turned to Chyna, who still had the rope attached to her. "Alright, Chyna. Untie the rope and let it drop down to the surface of the water, then take the raft down with you."

"Yes, sir, captain, sir!" Chyna said with a salute. In a few moments, she slipped off the rope, and threw it over the rail, and jumped over the rail with one hand holding the rope and the other clutching one of the raft's side handles, sliding down out of sight.

All three of her teammates, with one oar each, ran over to the side and watched as she slid down, the small dot of Chyna and the small yellow blob of the raft eventually reaching the water. They could faintly hear her voice shout back up to them.

"…K! …ome down!"

"Alright, follow me, ladies!" Mr. L declared, taking hold of the rope and leaping over the side like a SWAT officer.

"Whatever happened to 'ladies first'?" Wendy asked sarcastically as she jumped down after him, with Rain right behind her.

* * *

Soon, all four members of Team Victory II were in their raft, and all but Chyna had an oar at the ready.

"Alright, Wendy and Rain on the port side! I'll take the starboard! Chyna, take a seat in the stern!"

He was met by three blank stares.

"Argh! Wendy and Rain, on the left side, I'll take the right, Chyna sit in the back!"

Now he was met by three simultaneous "Oh"s, as the other teammates took their positions.

* * *

"And Team Sahara has all five of their items! Head on down, green team!"

"YES!" Rosalina cheered. "Katelyn, Mona, and Iggy grab an oar!"

"BLARGH!" Blayke roared as he bounced back up with the second oar, tossing it to Skyler. "We cannot lose again! WE. CAN. NOT." He bounced back down again to grab the third and final oar.

As he reached the bottom and took hold of the third oar, he glanced out towards the inside of the bay and evaluated the situation while upside-down. Team Victory II, obviously, had the advantage of a head-start, while Iggy was just sliding down the rope and settling in Team Sahara's raft. Logan sat at the bow of the raft with the key ring twirling on his right index finger, a fierce determination in his eyes.

"And shove off!" He ordered. Rosalina, Iggy, and Katelyn all began paddling furiously, Iggy and Katelyn on the port side and Rosalina on the starboard side.

Come on, Logan. Blayke thought to himself. Drive your team to defeat those jerks.

Then he bounced back up with the third oar, and soon with the raft.

"Alright, and off you go!" Isabelle declared.

"Let's go!" Blayke ordered. He picked up the raft and leapt over the side, still clinging to the bungee rope and the oar with one hand, the raft with the other, and the key ring between his teeth. He soon reached the water and set the raft down, settling in and dropping the oar and key ring.

"COME ON DOWN!" He yelled back up.

Soon, both Skyler and Toadette had accompanied him in the raft, an oar in each of their hands (or, in Toadette's case, an oar in one hand and a cell phone in the other).

"OK, Toadette takes the port, Skyler takes starboard, and I'll sit in the front. Now let's GO!"

With a full effort from Blayke and Skyler and a half-hearted effort from Toadette, the final team began to chase after the other two. Blayke had to concentrate hard to ignore the environment around them, not the least of which included a massive, clunky, rusted fishing barge that chugged past them, briefly tossing them up in its wake…

* * *

 **Meanwhile, up on the very same barge…**

The worker in a gray, dirty, stained old poncho and matching hat jumped back as another net unloaded its payload of wet, slimy, flopping fish.

"EW! Gross!"

"Quit yer whinin' down there, McCain! Get to work!" The captain called from the bridge a few levels up. "I don't pay ye to fuss about a little fish and salt water!"

"My name is McLean, you bumbling idiot!" He shouted back up. "Don't you know who I am?!"

"I don't care if yer Stevie Wonder. Ye get to work haulin' them fish, or I'll haul ye over the side! Got that?"

"…Ugh. Yes, sir."

As the worker named McLean began hauling still-flopping fish, he sighed in sad recollection of how much better his last job was…


	13. Silence is the Red Gate Bridge Part 2

**Team Victory II…**

"Alcatraz Island dead ahead!" L called out, while he, Rain, and Wendy paddled furiously.

"Wonder if we'll get to meet Clint Eastwood?" Chyn asked excitedly. "Or Sean Connery!"

"Or Santa Claus." Mr. L muttered as he continued paddling.

* * *

 **Team Madison…**

"Nuts!" Blayke roared in fury. "They're getting away!"

"Well, that was kind of obvious." Skyler replied half-heartedly. They both have more people than us, by a considerable margin…"

"Well, maybe, if SOME of us put a little EFFORT into it…" He turned back to Toadette as he said this, but she, naturally, didn't hear him.

Then a single thought popped into his devious little mind.

With one hand still furiously paddling, he took out his cell phone with the other and sent a quick text to Toadette.

"Ever been to Alcatraz before?"

Toadette paused for a moment, her phone whistling as the message came in, then she rapidly responded.

"no"

"Well, I have. And doesn't the reception here in Celestial Skyway kinda suck?"

"kinda"

"Well, let me tell you this, and I swear it's the truth: The reception on Alcatraz is sooo much better than anywhere else in this whole city. Trust me."

Blayke closed his phone and put it back in his pocket, waiting with a crooked grin as the message arrived on Toadette's phone. Her wild clicking stopped, her eyes widened, and the phone dropped into her lap.

With all her might, she began furiously paddling, nearly causing Skyler and Blayke to fall over from the sudden increase in speed. The two managed to regain their balance and join in, gradually gaining on Team Sahara…

''Ding-ding!''

* * *

 **''Musical Number – Ode to Celestial Skyway"**

 **Blayke:** Being born in the province of Metropolis  
Much farther than those borders I would never have gone  
When I see this place, I can't help but stammer  
I would rather beat myself with a hammer

I expected what kind of place this city'd be like  
I must get out, even if I have to hitchhike

 **Logan:** I remember the twister in Stormkyo  
But I never, ever could have imagined this  
All the bustle, culture and the hustle  
Just seeing this is worth all the pain in my muscles  
Being here is worth all of those dangerous bungee dives

I've never ever felt so alive

 **All:** Celestial Skyway, what a place  
Not subtle, it's in your face  
Celestial Skyway, show your teeth  
Moving at a rapid pace  
Yeah! Yeah!

 **Mr. L:** Celestial Skyway sure is like no other  
But as a destination, to me, it's just another  
When you're in a place like Celestial Skyway  
It's worse than being at a drunken Russian disco

Your first time here sure is an unforgettable day  
But that won't stand in my way!

 **All:** Celestial Skyway, what a place  
Not subtle, it's in your face  
Celestial Skyway, show your teeth  
Moving at a rapid pace  
Yeah! Yeah!

What city can compete with you?  
None else can, and that is the truth  
Can't wait to say goodbye to you  
Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait…

 **Rosalina:** Maybe later, we can see all the sights  
But for now, we must keep up the ongoing fight  
Keep up our chins up, and keep the fire strong  
We have been in economy-class for far too long

I really don't think Celestial Skyway's worth all that jazz  
So onward to the end  
To Alcatraz…

 **All:** Celestial Skyway, what a place  
Not subtle, it's in your face  
Celestial Skyway, show your teeth  
Moving at a rapid pace  
Yeah! Yeah!

Celestial Skyway, what a place  
Not subtle, it's in your face  
Celestial Skyway, show your teeth  
Moving at a rapid pace  
Yeah! Yeah!

Celestial Skyway, what a place  
Not subtle, it's in your face  
Celestial Skyway, show your teeth  
Moving at a rapid pace  
Yeah! Yeah!

* * *

By the time the ridiculously long musical number had ended, Team Victory II had already reached the shore of Alcatraz Island.

"Alright! Onward to victory!" L declared as he jumped out, landing up to his ankles in the water along the rocky shore and pulling the raft further up onto the shore with all his might.

Wendy, Rain, and Chyna were quick to jump out with him and follow him along the shore, up to the nearest path leading up to the desolate structure on top of the island.

"I've read up on this place before!" He announced as he ran up ahead of the others. "Follow me to the cell blocks! We'll start with A and work our way down!"

At that moment, Team Madison reached the shore, prompted on by Toadette's boost in paddling after Blayke mentioned the better reception. She even jumped out with Blayke and helped pull the raft, and Skyler, to the shore.

However, the moment both of her feet were on solid ground, her heart sank.

Her bars had dropped to half of a single bar.

"BLAYKE!" She roared, without even looking up from her phone. "YOU LIED! THE RECEPTION HERE SUCKS!"

"I know. One more thing about this island that does." He replied with a smirk. "You can stay here with the raft. You'll just slow us down. Jessica, come with me."

And with that, the pair raced up the dirt path towards the building.

* * *

 **Team Victory II…**

L dashed down one hall, turned a corner, and stopped for a moment, taking in the sights with awe as his three teammates caught up to him.

The massive hallway spread out in both directions, a wide space between the cell doors of B-Block and C-Block on either side.

"Broadway." L whispered.

"No, silly. Alcatraz, Celestial Skyway !" Chyna replied. "This isn't New Donk!"

"Broadway is the name that the prisoners gave to this particular corridor. The widest and most exposed in the entire building." He informed her, with brief annoyance turning back to excitement. "This would be a great place to start looking."

He turned to his teammates and gestured his finger in two different directions. "Rain, Wendy: Head down that way. Chyna, come with me and we'll look this way. If anyone sees the cell with the logo on the door, give a holler."

The two pairs split up and ran down the massive hallway in opposite directions.

At that moment, the single pair representing Team Madison entered the corridor, with Blayke looking up one way and Skyler down the other. Each got a glimpse of the other team's members as they ran off.

"They're already splitting up and searching. We shouldn't follow them, or else it'll look like we're following their lead. Let's go this way!" Clamping a hand down on Skyler's wrist, he led her on through the prison towards B-Block.

Soon, they arrived in the center of B-Block. Blayke did a quick 360 around the area, then snapped his fingers. "This is the section of B-Block from where three inmates successfully escaped in June of 1962. This'll be an ideal location to start looking. You head that way, and call my name if you see our logo. I'll look down this way."

And with that, they split up as well.

* * *

 **Team Sahara…**

The team finally arrived, alongside the empty raft of Team Victory II and Team Madison's raft, with a frustrated and fuming Samantha sitting inside, desperately trying to get some reception on the Rock.

Mary was still stunned to see the latter already there, so closely on the heels of Team Victory II.

"Remind me again how the heck those three sped ahead of us like that?" She asked as she and Louis jumped out and pulled the raft, with their other three teammates, to the shore.

Logan simply shrugged.

"Never mind it. Let's go." Taking Mona's hand, he helped her out of the raft before turning and heading up the dirt path, Rosalina right behind them.

Katelyn tried to offer similar help to Iggy, only for him to ignore her hand, stumble out on his own, and run past her while calling for the others to wait for him.

The five soon arrived in D-Block, glancing around in many different directions.

"This place is huge!" Mona exclaimed. "How will we ever find it?"

Just then, there was a whining over the prison's ancient PA system, and the familiar, gruff voice of Chef Isabelle soon bellowed: "And, big shock, Team Victory II has won YET AGAIN."

In the brief pause after he finished this sentence, the familiar cheering of L could be heard echoing down the halls from somewhere in the distance.

"So Team Madison and Team Sahara, ya'll'd best hurry it up! One of you will claim second place, and another will claim…you know, dead last. Which means one of your members will subsequently claim elimination. So get movin'!"

"Well, in answer to your question, Nicole: How will we find it? Fast. You and I will take this corridor. Katelyn and Iggy, take that corridor. Rosalina, you head down and search C-Block."

"WHAT?! Me and Katelyn?!" Iggy started to protest.

"Let's go!" Katelyn yelled out, grabbing Isaiah by the arm and dragging him down the corridor alongside D-Block. Logan and Mona ran down the opposite direction, while Rosalina ran towards C-Block.

In another section of the prison, Blayke and Skyler took an equally frightened note of this new announcement.

"DAAAAAAANG IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Blayke roared, his fury echoing back and forth down the halls, even shaking the cell door's bars. The key ring shaking nervously in his hand, he dashed through the halls, glancing side-to-side rapidly at the cells passing on both sides, keeping both eyes peeled for the team logo.

Suddenly, with a powerful shock, Blayke felt himself slam roughly into an unseen object with a meaty smack and a dull clunk. After the initial impact against his forehead, his vision flashed back, then flashed on and off repeatedly like a flickering light as he crashed to the unforgiving, cold concrete floor. As he was too stunned to even issue an "Ow," he heard the other person's moan of pain in its entirety. And it was familiar.

"Skyler…you…idiot…" He mumbled, still trying to sit up with one elbow below him to prop him up, and another hand on his forehead.

"Oooooh…S…sorry…"

As Blayke leaned to one side and shook his head, he glanced up momentarily. Against the dull gray and green, he thought he saw a flash of pink. He lowered his head, paused, then looked up again.

As his vision settled down and the spots vanished, the image slowly but surely formed before his eyes: The Team Madison logo, crudely taped across two of the bars on the door of the nearest cell to his right.

"The…the logo!" He called out weakly, to himself more than to Skyler. "This cell!"

Mustering all his strength, he slowly staggered to his knees, then climbed to his feet, stumbling forward a couple feet until he slammed into the bars, instantly clinging to them with both hands…

…which resulted in him dropping the key ring just inside the cell door.

Even after the clang sounded, it took him a few moments to realize that the key ring was missing from his hand. He looked down and saw it, about six inches inside the cell. A few more seconds, then the panic set in.

Still clinging to the bars, he allowed his body to drop down until he was crouching. He warily let go of one bar, a sting of pain shooting through his head again, and reached between the bars into the cell, fingers extended as he desperately reached for the key ring.

He had to stretch just a little further…

Then his index finger and middle finger touched the ring. Using the top joints of each finger, he hooked the ring and jerked his arm back, pulling the ring through the gap in the bars.

Now clenching the key ring more firmly, he pulled himself back up using the cell door's bars, until he was level with the lock, just next to the pink logo.

Fumbling with the key ring for just a moment, he awkwardly slid the single key in through the hole…turned it once…

…then fell backwards as the door suddenly swung open, his weight pulling it open and shocking him so much that he fell backward and landed right on top of Skyler, who was still lying on the floor. She gave another "Oof," while he, once again, remained silent.

Then the voice blared across the intercom once more.

"And Team Madison has unlocked their cell door! Team Madison is finally no longer the losing team! Congratulations to the three of ya. Team Sahara, so sorry, but you must face elimination again for the first time in three episodes. See ya at the elimination ceremony!"

Normally, Blayke and Skyler would've been quick to celebrate their victory, but both were still stunned from the collision.

Blayke, however, managed to crack a faint smile, and his whole body relaxed.

Then, a muffled voice from underneath: "Efan, can you pleafe get off of me?"

* * *

 **Later,** **at** **the elimination ceremony…**

A very divided and very frustrated Team Sahara sat in the bleachers of the dreaded elimination area in several small groups. Logan and Mona sat in one corner on the top row, while Rosalina sat alone on the opposite end of the top row, glaring down at the bottom row. Katelyn and Iggy sat on the bottom row, and the latter only allowed the former to sit near him because he was too depressed to notice her. However, for once, Katelyn wasn't necessarily enjoying sitting next to Iggy either, as she looked just as scared for her chances.

"Alrighty then, losers! If it's any consolation, at least ya'll gave Team Madison a break. So whichever of you make it back to economy-class by the end of tonight, be sure to ask 'em to thank you. As you know, there are only four Barf Bags here tonight, and five kids who would like to have one. One of you, of course, will leave this Jet with nuthin' but a parachute and broken dreams. When I call your name, claim your Barf Bag.

"Logan and Mona!"

The two shared sighs of relief and a smile as they caught their Barf Bags.

"Now, the three of YOU…"

Isabelle pointed one at a time at Rosalina, Katelyn, and Iggy.

"…all received votes tonight. Two of you received the exact same amount of votes, while one of you received more votes than the other two combined. Thus, that person is out. So tonight, the last two Barf Bags simultaneously go to…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Rosalina and Katelyn!"

"WHAT?!" Katelyn screamed ferociously, despite a Barf Bag hitting her in the forehead and bouncing off. Rosalina, although slightly stunned at first, received hers with a satisfied grin.

"YES!" Iggy cheered. "You guys actually came through for me!" He jumped up to the top row and gave Mona and Logan a bear hug. "Thank you both so much! Thank you!"

"Iggy?! What are you doing?! You just got voted off!"

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't handle it anymore." He confessed as he started to step down the bleachers towards the open door. "Rosalina presented a legitimate point. I have been slowing my team down far too often and far too drastically."

He took the parachute out of Isabelle's hand and strapped it on. "Eliminating this team's greatest weakness, even if it is myself, is the greatest thing I can do to restore my honor."

He walked right up to the very precipice of the open door. Turning back one final time to face Katelyn, he threw in one final sentence.

"That, and I just can't stand you anymore."

And, before Katelyn could even respond, he was gone.

* * *

 **Voting Confessionals**

 **Logan** – Iggy, I'm only doing this because you asked me to. (Stamps Iggy's passport)

 **Mona** – I was already convinced enough by Rosalina, but for Iggy himself to come up and ask me to vote for him, this one really is a slam-dunk. (Stamps Iggy's passport).

 **Katelyn** – As if it isn't obvious enough. (Stamps Rosalina's passport).

 **Rosalina** – Should I even bother? …Eh, I love doing this. (Stamps Katelyn's passport).

 **Iggy** – This may be shocking, but I honestly can't tolerate Katelyn anymore, I'm holding my team back, I can't tolerate Katelyn anymore, I'm the team's weakest link, I can't tolerate Katelyn anymore…did I mention that I can't tolerate Katelyn anymore? (Stamps his own passport).

 **Voting Results**

 **Katelyn – Mary**

 **Rosalina – Katelyn**

 **Iggy – Iggy**

 **Logan – Iggy**

 **Mona – Iggy**

* * *

 **Total Votes**

 **Iggy – 3**

 **Katelyn – 1**

 **Rosalina – 1**

 **Elimination Order: Tanooki Mario, Chyna, Madison, Pauline, Susan, Wario, Isabel, Iggy**


	14. Ice Ice Baby Part 1

"Last time on Total Drama Mario World Tour: The players were dumped into one of the craziest locations in one of the craziest cities in one of the craziest territories in one of the craziest countries in this crazy world: The Red Gate Bridge, Celestial Skyway, Sky Kingdom.

They had to take a gulp and do a bungee-jump off that big ol' bridge, grab a key, and paddle rafts all the way to Alcatraz. Simple, right? Heh, heh… /"Animal Mother managed to get on Napoleon's nerves once more with her never-ending Dr. Doolittle stories, only solidifying his alliance with Perfectionist to get the creeper off his back.

Meanwhile, Team Victory II – BIIIIIIG shock – went on to win yet…another…challenge. And, all the while, redheaded schemer kept his right-hand girl clumsy relatively out of the loop about his /"In the end, it was, surprisingly, Team Sahara that came in last and had to send away one of their own.

In a shocking twist, it was Napoleon who was voted out by Shakespeare, silent girl, and Napoleon himself, both to get him away from animal lover and in an effort to finally end the source of the conflict between animal and Perfectionist, as well as to eliminate the team's weakest link.

But will it work? …Most likely /"And FINALLY, after four straight episodes in this crazy country, we're finally going to another continent. Where will our plans take us next? And who will be voted out tonight? Find out, right here, right now, on Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

* * *

Even in the luxury of first-class, Rain couldn't help but cross her arms and shiver slightly at the sight of the location below them and around them.

"Geez. Just looking at this place sends a chill down my spine."

"Not for me." L declared, as the built-in heater for one of the reclining seats kept him warm. It was even causing his plate of chocolate chip cookies to grow warm, with some of the chocolate slowly melting. "I don't care if we're over Shiveria or all the way up at the North Pole. As long as we're here in first-class, we're good to go."

"I was in the North Pole once." Chyna quickly interjected. "I had a team of sled dogs to lead me through the treacherous terrain, but one by one, they all died off. I thought I was gonna die for a while up there, but I managed to survive for 6 days. You wanna know how? Huh? Do ya?"

"Ugh." L pulled the pillow out from behind his head and covered his face with it as Chyna began rambling on about another one of her famous stories.

* * *

 **Economy-class…**

The wind was whipping almost violently through several cracks in the metal plates, resulting in most of the occupants shaking their knees and chattering their teeth.

"W-W-W-Where are w-w-w-we?" Rosalina chattered in a tone of frustration barely detectable through the shaking. "N-N-North P-P-P-P-P-Pole?"

"I-I-I-I-If it's Sh-i-i-i-i-veria, I'm gonna l-l-l-l-lose it." Blayke muttered, equally frustrated and equally frigid.

"I j-j-j-j-just wish that we c-c-c-c-could find a w-w-w-w-ay to get w-w-w-w-warmer." Skyler chattered back.

"Th-th-th-th-the only th-th-th-th-thing I could sug-g-g-g-g-gest is b-b-b-b-body heat." Katelyn offered.

"Are y-y-y-y-y-you c-c-c-c-c-c-crazy?" Rosalina shot back.

"What the h-h-h-h-h-h-h-heck? It's w-w-w-w-w-w-w-worth a t-t-t-t-t-t-t-try…isn't it?" Mona replied.

She glanced around at all the others, but none did or said anything to respond until she looked at Logan.

The drama king looked at her, paused for a moment, then shrugged and held out his arms.

With a wry smile, Mona moved closer and wrapped her arms around him, with Logan returning the gesture.

Blayke looked at the two, then jerked his head back towards Skyler. Skyler looked at the two with a slightly jealous look before looking at the redhead.

After a moment, Blayke finally spoke up. "F-f-f-f-f-fine."

Skyler was quick to follow suit, moving closer to Blayke while Blayke moved closer to her.

Katelyn looked back and forth between the two couples, then at the spot where Mary was sitting…

…a moment earlier. Before Katelyn knew it, Rosalina had rushed over to Toadette – who was more focused on her phone than the cold, and wrapped her arms around her, not daring to look back at Katelyn.

Who was now completely alone, with three pairs of people around her gradually getting warmer.

She sighed in between chatters.

* * *

 **''Lavatory Confessional''**

 **Katelyn** – (Still chattering and shivering, but not as much) I knew it'd be w-w-w-warmer in here! But m-m-m-m-man, it sucks now that Isaiah's g-g-g-g-gone! He was the closest thing I had to an a-a-a-a-ally, and now I know for a fact that Rosalina's been talking to Logan and Mona behind my b-b-b-b-back. She's still gunning for me, and I know she's gonna take it to the end if she has to. And it's no s-s-s-s-secret: If Logan and Mona have to choose between her and me, they'll probably break for her side! And then I'm T-T-T-T-T-TOAST!

* * *

The intercom whined again, though it was barely audible over the wind in economy-class.

"Alright, freaks! We are preparing to land. When the Jet comes to a step, haul your butts outside as fast as you can!"

"But don't w-w-w-we even get c-c-c-c-coats?" Mona asked, still shivering in Logan's arms.

"NO!" Then the speaker went dead.

"L-l-l-l-l-land?" Rosalina asked skeptically. "W-w-w-w-w-where?"

They all looked out the windows to see if they could locate any structures or plausible places to land, and after a few moments, it emerged off to the right out of the snow.

A runway, rather short and with some snow scattered across it. About a hundred yards off, there was a fairly large compound of dark, dull buildings with only a few lights dotting them.

* * *

20 minutes later…

The contestants were all huddled in a close, shivering group with chattering teeth and knocking knees. There was considerably less wind outside now that they were stopped and no longer in the air, but they could still feel the cold flakes in the air against their faces and hands. In addition, it was painfully bright outside due to the sun reflecting right off the white snow, forcing most of them to squint. Only L, with his dark Aviators, was spared, though even he couldn't help but squint a little.

"I have an announcement to make!" Isabelle declared, standing before them in his signature blue parka with orange stripes, and having to raise his voice slightly due to the wind. "For the first time in four episodes, we are no longer in Soleanna!"

"F-F-FINALLY!" Blayke roared.

"For our next, non-Soleanna challenge, we are stopping here, in beautiful, scenic…Shiveria !"

Ethan's excitement died down with the wind.

* * *

 **''Lavatory Confessional''**

 **Logan** – Seriously?

 **Rosalina** – You've got to be kidding.

* * *

 **''C** **ockpit Confessional''**

 **Blayke** – Great...just great…the ONE place that I hate almost as much as Soleanna, and now that's where we are. Joy.

* * *

"Although we are not in Soleanna, the only place we could hold our challenge just so happens to be Soleanna property, though long abandoned, of course."

"This…" She gestured to the compound behind her. "…is the Soleanna's National Science Institute Station 5…also known as U.S. Outpost #32. It has been abandoned since the winter of 1982, when all of its 12-member crew inexplicably vanished. To this day, nobody knows what happened, since there were no survivors."

"Wow. That's originality at its finest." L muttered. "Come on, I know that you're totally ripping off The Th-."

"YOUR CHALLENGE…" She interrupted. "…is to search the remains of this compound for clues as to what happened to the crew. There are ten clues hidden throughout the compound, which shall be specifically marked as such. The clues will help you better piece together what really happened here, 30 years ago. The team that finds the most clues will win first place, the team with the second-highest amount of clues comes in second…and you know the drill.

"Lastly, before you begin, you must have these."

She gestured to the approaching golf cart, driven by Carl, with a small, white, flat trailer behind it piled up with strange objects that consisted of two tanks put together with a harness on them and a hose extending from one tank.

"These special, state-of-the-art slime shooters!"

"Slime shooters?" Rosalina asked skeptically, an eyebrow raised.

"A sticky, gooey substance that'll easily slow down whatever it hits, kinda like mud or syrup. This will undoubtedly help you in the challenge."

"How?" Rain asked.

"That's for you to find out! Now, there are only six here, and there are 11 of you here, so you'll obviously have to divvy them up among yourselves. Two per team. Ya'll've got five minutes to do that, strategize, and whatever before you must enter the compound. No one comes out until the challenge is over. Understand? Good."

The three teams split up, each taking two of the slime shooters.

* * *

 **Team Madison…**

"Alright, I'll take one for sure." Blayke stated as he slipped his arms into the harnesses, buckling the front strap in front of his waist and taking hold of the hose, with a trigger underneath the end. He picked up the other and turned to face Toadette and Skyler, realizing painfully that he had to choose between them.

Clumsy Skyler, or couldn't-care-less Toadette.

"Ugh. I'm probably gonna regret this…"

He handed it to Skyler.

"Put this on. I'd rather give it to someone who has more motivation." He emphasized the last word and glanced at Toadette, who didn't seem to notice.

* * *

 **Team Sahara…**

"Alright, who wants one?" Rosalina asked as she strapped on her own slime shooter.

"I'll take it." Logan declared, stepping forward to take the device. As he buckled in, he leaned in close to Rosalina. "And I think it best to keep you and Katelyn separated in this challenge. Agree?"

"Well, duh."

"Good. You go with Mona, and I'll go with Katelyn. Deal?"

"Deal."

He straightened up, turned to the other two girls, and repeated the last sentence to them, leaving out the part about separating Rosalina and Katelyn. But that didn't stop Katelyn from glaring at Rosalina, who did her best to ignore it.

* * *

 **Team Victory II…**

Mr. L and Chyna were already suiting up, with no objection from the others.

"Alright, so we'll obviously have to split up again…who's it gonna be? Wendy?" He looked at his girlfriend.

"Actually, I think I'll go with Chyna."

"Awesome!" Chyna replied enthusiastically.

"What?" Mr. L asked, eyebrows lifting and slight shock emerging in his voice.

"We have to keep the two with the slime shooters separated, for equal protection, right?"

"W-well, yeah…"

"Good." She cut off firmly. "Then you'll go with Rain. It's settled."

Before Mr. L could interject an order, Wendy and Chyna turned and headed off down towards the compound's main entrance, following Team Madison and Team Sahara.

After a brief pause, Mr. L followed, Rachael alongside him.

* * *

 **A few minutes later…**

The three teams had entered the compound and split up. Already, most of them had stopped shivering and chattering, as it was, surprisingly, considerably warmer inside the compound.

After a few moments, as some expected, the intercom system suddenly whined to life. "And remember one thing: This challenge is ongoing. It absolutely will not stop until all 10 clues are found."

"Do you have an intercom system for EVERY location we happen to be in?" Blayke asked in an annoyed tone.

"Chef Isabelle, over and out." And the intercom whined again, then shut off with a click.

Blayke shook his head and looked at Skyler, who simply shrugged.

"On a side note, though: Don't you feel a little bad about Toadette being completely on her own? And without a slime shooter?"

"Let her survive on her own, without any help or effort from her teammates." Blayke responded harshly. "She's not willing to help us, we shouldn't be willing to help her."

"But…she helped us in the Sky Kingdom."

"Only after I had to trick her." He retorted.

Skyler didn't want to continue the argument any further.

* * *

 **Logan and Katelyn…**

The two newcomers moved through the halls silently, looking around carefully to spot anything that looked like a potential clue.

However, after a few moments of silence, Katelyn finally spoke up.

"Logan…is it OK if I ask you a little something?"

"I guess so." He said without looking back. He knew what was coming, and he tried his best to think of several different responses for anything Katelyn might ask him in relation to either Rosalina or what had happened with Iggy.

In between thoughts, he took in some more of the environment. Passing by on their left was obviously the kitchen, with glass cabinet doors, metal countertops, and a gleaming metal refrigerator, among other things…

"I know I've been kind of annoying recently…"

"You think so?" He asked, his tone making it impossible to tell whether or not he was being sarcastic.

"I know, this whole thing with me and Rosalina…and Iggy thrown into the mix…Did he really ask you and Mona to vote for him?"

"'Do you want the official line or the truth?'" He responded after peeking in through a doorway into a smaller room with two beds, a desk, and a television set.

"Huh?"

"David Petraeus's response when asked about the September 11 Benghazi attack cover-up and scandal."

"…Oh…" She didn't know quite what to say to that.

"Anyway. The answer to both is yes. He came to us, and us alone. Quite vehemently, I should add."

"Really?"

"Yes. He really wanted to leave…"

He finally turned to look back at Katelyn. He could already tell from the sad gleam in her eyes what that last statement implied to her, and he felt it would be better to make her feel less guilty.

"…but it was more because he felt he was slowing down the team. Not because of you." He finished.

"Oh." She said again.

Logan turned away, just as they rounded a corner into a room with a small sign that read "Infirmary." He wasn't sure if he had improved the situation or just made it worse.

Something, something in his gut told him that it was, unfortunately, the latter.

* * *

 **Mr. L and Rain…**

As the two friends moved through the silent, ominous halls at a casual pace, L tried to get his mind off of Wendy's firm decision to not be teamed up with him in this challenge. But the more he tried to forget, the harder it became to do just that.

He didn't want to look back at Rain, but in the back of his mind he knew, deep down, that if anyone else knew what Violet was thinking, it was her best friend.

This was going to be hard.

L swallowed nervously, cleared his throat…paused for a few more seconds…

"…Hey, Rain?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, L."

She had replied in a tone of voice that seemed friendly enough, almost as if she couldn't detect the subtle hostility from earlier.

"…Is something wrong with Wendy?"

"Wrong with Wendy?" She repeated dubiously. "No. Not that I can see."

"Are you sure?" He dared not look back at her. What her voice couldn't tell, he feared her brown eyes would.

"Yeah." There was another pause. Then, suddenly: "I'd be more curious as to whether or not something's wrong with you."

The impact of this statement was somewhat diminished by what L thought was a sudden flicker of movement above him and to his right. He jerked his head up and glanced up at an air vent on the wall, right below the ceiling. He stopped so suddenly that Rain nearly bumped into him.

"L?"

He continued staring, slowly moving his head to the left to look up and down the entire corridor.

"L, I know I worded that a little harshly…"

His concentration on looking for the movement briefly drowned out her voice.

"…L? L?"

He shook his head, pushing aside the memory of the ominous movement enough to turn back to Rachael and return to the conversation.

"I'm sorry. Could you say that again?"

"Which part? The part about being curious as to what's wrong with you?"

"Yeah. I mean…what do you mean?"

"What do I mean? Have you looked at yourself recently? Your behavior? Your way of speaking to others? It's so…so…not you."

"I…still don't understand what you mean."

Just then, he thought he heard something. A brief whoosh of movement to his left. He turned to face it, but saw only nothing, except the door to a room marked "Laboratory #2," with several glass cases of equipment, some shattered or scattered around the room, as well as several metal operating tables and a few sinks.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Rain asked, obvious annoyance in her voice.

"Uh…sure." L responded, still glancing around the lab.

"You talk to your teammates much more harshly, you consider the challenges more important than your friends, you put winning above all else, you rub our victories in other people's faces…and that's just the tip of the iceberg."

He finally forgot about the movement and the sound, and turned back to Rain.

"Really?" Genuine bewilderment in his eyes.

"Yeah. It's been pretty obvious, dude. From the start of the season, you've been this way. And although I'd suggest a complete 180, you'd first have to explain yourself."

As they rounded a corner, they came to a door that looked older and was made of wood rather than metal. The sign read "Kennel."

"Alright, alright…I guess now's better than never." He sighed as he entered, Rain behind him.

They moved into a thin, wooden hallway, with support beams under the ceiling and low over their heads. On their right was the wire fence that ran from the floor to the ceiling, separating the interior of the kennel from the hallway. The floor had hay on it, and there were wooden beams running along the middle of the wire fence. L moved over to the old wooden door and lifted the rusty metal latch, poking it open with the nozzle of his slime shooter, and looked in cautiously before he finally resumed.

"Well, it's not like it just happened out of nowhere, you know…don't think of this as an excuse or anything, but there is a reason that I've been acting so…competitive."

"That's a nice way of putting it."

"Anyway. It started in August of 2010…my first day back at school after Total Drama Mario Action had ended…"

As Rain passed in front of the wide-open kennel door, a sudden, unseen force wrapped around her, a single tentacle going around her mouth to silence her, then yanked her back inside as silently as possible.

L, completely unaware of her disappearance, continued giving his ever-crucial and shocking spiel, unaware that he now had no audience.

* * *

 **Rosalina and Mona…**

"I just can't understand why he'd want to vote himself out! If it was all because of Katelyn, then we could've just voted her out, and he'd have another shot at the money!" Rosalina exclaimed.

"Well, like he said, maybe it was for something more than just Katelyn"

"I guess so. And if that's true, then I really did gain some more respect for him…"

Mona turned around briefly as she thought she heard something. It was a strange slithering sound, along with a brief whoosh of fast movement. She first looked directly behind her, then up at the ceiling cautiously. She thought she heard a low, metallic rumbling above her…

"…but then again, he was right: He really was the weakest link, along with Katelyn. So I guess it really should've been a no-brainer…"

Then, out of nowhere, Mona felt a sudden presence drop down and wrap several times around her mouth. An unseen, slimy appendage cut off her ability to speak or make any kind of noise, and before she knew what was happening, she was yanked up off the floor and through an air vent in the ceiling directly above her, where it was too dark to see what had taken her.

"…and I take it by your silence that you agree." Rosalina finished, not even daring to look behind her as she continued on down the hall, unknowingly alone.


	15. Ice Ice Baby Part 2

**Mr. L [and Rain]…**

"…And ever since then, I was determined to redeem myself. I swore that if there was ever another season of Total Drama, I'd do everything to return. And if I did successfully return, I would stop at nothing to win. I guess that's why I've been acting like such a jerk." He sighed. "You can understand that now, right?"

He finally turned around, and saw that Rain was nowhere in sight. His eyes widened.

"Rain?"

He started speed-walking back down the direction he had just come from, glancing frantically in every doorway he passed by.

"Rain?! Where are you?! This isn't funny!"

He turned another corner, not even sure if he had turned that corner before or not, and looked down the hall.

"RAIN!"

A terrifying roar responded, booming down the halls and seeming to shake the nearby boxes and shelves that lined the walls, the doors shaking in their frames and the metal banging.

L raised the nozzle and backed up slowly, keeping his eyes locked on the hallway ahead of him. It was happening all too fast. His emotional instability after recounting his sad story, his shock and slight anger that Rain had disappeared, and now fear at whatever that sound was. He couldn't think straight.

Then, suddenly, there it was.

He didn't know how to describe it, other than a massive brown, bulbous mass with a few small crevices on the side that was facing him, which he assumed were the eyes as they stared straight at him. Then, an extra round part that stuck out of the front – presumably the head – twisted slightly like an inquisitive dog would look at something strange, as it looked straight at him.

Then, suddenly, another large crevice opened up below the eyes – the mouth – as it bellowed another booming roar at him. The metal walls rattled, and the lights shook from above. Then the creature started racing towards him. He couldn't see any feet moving underneath it, and for all he knew, it was sliding along the floor as if on wheels.

With a roar of fear and blind anger, L aimed the slime-shooter and fired at the creature as it approached, a jet of green sludge shooting out surprisingly fast and flying at the creature. He watched as the thin, straight jet impacted against the creature's face in a massive splatter, drops flying against the walls, onto the floor, and even against the ceiling as it covered the monster's face.

L stopped briefly as he watched to see the monster's reaction. It, too, had stopped charging at him, as if it was immobilized.

But then, an appendage extended out of the creature's right side – a spindly arm with two sharp claws at the end – and wiped the slime away with one movement.

Then it roared again and resumed its charge as if nothing had happened.

With a cry of pure fear, L turned and dashed down the hall, turning a sharp right at the nearest doorway, which led into a radio room – equipment lined the walls with its many dials, switches, and dark lights, some panels mysteriously torn up and with wires hanging out, gauges crooked in their places.

But there was another door across the room, and L bolted through it. He entered a backroom with a few piles of boxes and crates, and another door leading into another long hallway.

He turned back and looked through the radio room to the other hallway. Although he could not see the creature, he could definitely hear it.

He turned and ran into the other hallway, turning to the right so that he was now heading the opposite direction that he had been running before. He heard a crash of glass and other objects in the radio room, accompanied by a roar.

Without even thinking, he ducked into another room. This appeared to be a storage room, with piles of old, dusty boxes and shelves lining the walls. It looked even older than the rest of the compound.

As he glanced around the room, his eyes fell onto what looked like a replica of the slime-shooter he was wearing now, although it was slightly bigger, the hose was thinner, and it had a few rust stains on it. There was also a small flame symbol on the side, and "Flammable" in several different languages.

A flame-thrower? It couldn't be.

He paused for thought. They were ripping off that movie…

Yep. It probably is.

Glancing over his shoulder back outside the room, he quickly discarded the slime shooter and lifted the flame-thrower off the wall-mounted hook it was on. He strapped it on just as he had strapped on the slime-shooter, bringing the nozzle around to the front of him just as he heard the creature drawing closer.

* * *

 **Toadette**

Toadette was wandering aimlessly around the compound, mostly focused on her texting but with an occasional side glance through a door or around a corner whenever she could.

Then, still texting, she stopped dead in her tracks. She thought she heard something besides her own footsteps and her phone's click-clacking. She finally gave the texting a rest and looked up at the ceiling, then around her ominously. Then she heard it again: It initially sounded like a deep, metallic groaning, but had a quality to it that sounded strangely…alive.

She hadn't heard it at all before while she had been searching the compound, which had been about half an hour or so by now. She hadn't even heard or encountered any of the other contestants. But now, suddenly, she realized how alone she truly was…and how unsafe she now felt.

With the phone still clutched tightly in her hand, she backed up against the nearest wall and slid along it slowly, glancing up and down the hall warily. The groan sounded again, seeming to come from down the hall. She soon reached a corner, and dashed around it as quickly as possible. As she ran, she thought she heard the sound at a distance behind her, sounding less metallic and throatier, as if coming from a wild animal. She dared to steal a glance behind her..

…and the brief flash of that horrible thing instantly filled her mind just as the massive beast filled the hallway…

And then, with a sudden impact, she felt herself slamming into something. With an "Oof!" from herself and the unseen person, they both crashed to the floor.

"ARGH!" The other person groaned from on top of her. "What is it with me crashing into my own teammates and landing on top of them whenever we're running through the metal hallways of an abandoned structure?!"

"Hey, at least it wasn't me you crashed into…" Skyler commented as she grabbed Ethan's hand and pulled him up.

"Yeah…true." Blayke shook his head and looked down at Toadette.

"What the heck was that all about?" He asked. "What were you running from?"

"…Th…Th…THAT!" She pointed behind herself as she craned her head back to look…

…and found herself pointing at an empty hallway.

"What?" Blayke looked where she was pointing. "That shelf, or that pile of boxes?"

"No, I swear! I saw…I saw…"

"Saw what?"

"It was horrible. I saw it for only a second, but it was big, disgusting, and it roared at me."

"It roared at you?" Skyler asked incredulously.

"Yeah. It was some kind of creature."

"You saw it, too?" Another voice added in.

The other three all turned to see L approaching, his slime-shooter still attached to his back. But the leader of the most successful team looked visibly shaken, his hands trembling and eyes still fairly wide.

"For once, I can agree with her. I saw it as well."

"Oh, don't tell me that you're starting to crack, Mr. Over-Confident?" Blayke asked.

"Call it what you want, but I saw it. I'll admit, I would've normally shared your skepticism. But I swear, that roar terrified me so that I couldn't even think straight. Then when I actually saw it…It was too overwhelming. I tried firing my slime-shooter, but it hardly did anything to it. Fortunately, I found this…"

He briefly lifted the nozzle.

"…hanging on a wall hook. It's a flame-thrower."

"A what now?" Skyler asked with fear ringing in her voice.

"Yep. Watch."

L then aimed straight up and gave the trigger a brief squeeze, sending a ball of fire into the air above them, illuminating the room brighter than normal for a moment, and with the heat slightly increasing before dying down. Skyler yelped and jumped back, while Toadette cringed from where she was lying on the floor.

Blayke, with a single hand in front of his forehead and half-shielding his eyes, looked at L with the most unreadable expression.

"Thanks for the demonstration."

"It scared that thing right off, whatever it was. Animatronic or not, it was something I didn't want following me."

"If that's what you claim to have seen, then it must've been one of Isabelle's cheap animatronic props. She was obviously implying the presence of a 'monster' or something, and she threw one in to scare us. Don't be fooled when – and if – you see it again. It's nothing to be afraid of."

"But…it was so big…and so loud…" Toadette stuttered.

"And so is Isabelle. But you don't see us running away from him all the time and crashing into others, do you? Good." He finished before she could even respond. "Now if you two want to keep running around shouting 'wolf,' then that's fine with me. I'm gonna leave you two to do whatever you please, but before I do, I want to ask you…"

He pointed at Toadette.

"Did you find any clues?"

"No…"

"Then get back up and go down that hallway. Skyler and I will double-back and search again down this area."

And with that, Blayke turned around and brushed past Skyler, who stayed behind for only a moment longer before she turned and followed him.

Toadette, still in a state of shock, turned around to where L had been standing behind her.

He was now gone.

She turned back to look down the hall where her two teammates had left, only to see that they were gone as well. She slowly climbed to her feet and turned around, creeping towards the corner where the creature had been just a moment earlier. After a pause and a deep breath, she peeked around the corner…

…and saw an empty hallway.

She sighed with relief.

Then, before she could do anything else, she felt a slimy presence wrap around her mouth and her stomach, lifting her right off her feet and into total blackness.

* * *

 **Blayke and Skyler…**

"Some people…" Blayke muttered, shaking his head. "First she shows no effort whatsoever, then when she does, she sees things. I don't know what's wrong with that girl, besides her addiction to texting. And then Mr. Undefeatable finds a real freakin' flame-thrower?! Are you kidding me?!"

"Blayke…what if there really is something roaming around in here?" Skyler asked, her tone conveying a slight worry.

"Please. Even if it is something, like I said, it's probably just an animatronic."

Skyler still had more to say, but just the way Blayke firmly declared that last statement made it clear that he wanted that conversation to end.

They turned into the nearest doorway and entered the Rec Room. There were several old, arcade-style video games lined up, with a ping-pong table in the middle of the room.

There was a small TV on a stand in the corner, several chairs and couches lined up against one wall, with nightstands between them and a lamp standing on each.

There was a bookshelf in another corner, and through another, larger doorway that led into a smaller section of the room, there was a bar with a line of stools in front of it, and even some wine glasses neatly lined up on the counter top.

There was a small light fixture hanging from the ceiling, with three light bulbs contained underneath a stained-glass rectangle with intricate designs in it, hanging directly above the pool table. There was a door leading outside on the opposite wall, with a single, long window running along the wall.

"So…do we have a game plan?" Skyler asked, determined to keep talking so as to keep the encounter with Toadette out of her mind. "You've been making some good pep speeches over the last few days, talks of sabotage and whatnot, but with no action. Do you plan on making your move soon?"

"Of course I do. I already had some vague ideas gradually forming in my mind…but then L finds a flame-thrower."

"So…whatever plans you had are now completely ruined?"

"NO!" He shouted, but not with anger – with happiness, punctuated by a strangely delighted grin on his face. "They are accelerated, my dear Skyler! It's perfect! I now know exactly how I can strike at him. Exactly how I can end his diabolical reign over this game!"

"How's that?"

"I'm not sure if I should tell you…" He paused, putting two finger on his chin and glancing upward, half in thought, and half at the rather fancy light fixture above the pool table. "Ah, what the heck. I will."

Then…

''Ding-ding!''

Then, only the speaker system in the rec room whined to life, and Isabelle's voice crackled on.

"Musical number! But I want this one to be just the two of you, and you, redhead, are to use this to explain your evil, grand master plan. Got that? Good!"

* * *

 ** _Musical Number – Be Prepared_**

 **Blayke** : I know that you're naive and clumsy  
To you, that's the only downside  
But dumb as you are, (rears his head in close to Skyler's face) Listen to me!  
You're part of the plan I have in mind

It's clear from your constant questions  
That of my plans, you're not yet aware  
So to tell you of all my intentions  
I suppose that would only be fair

So prepare for the chance of a lifetime  
Prepare for news that is so fine  
The grand culmination will meet realization

 **Skyler** : What do you mean?

 **Blayke** (annoyingly taps her cheeks): Just let me sing  
I know this sounds morbid, but you'll be rewarded  
When at last I make my big move  
And just so you can say that you're aware

Be prepared!

 _Speaking Interval with instrumental music_

 **Skyler** : "Sure, I'll be prepared…for what now?"

 **Blayke** : "For the coup d'etat!"

 **Skyler** : "The who-de-haw?"

 **Blayke** : "The overthrow! The takeover! The complete, sudden, brutal, and startlingly effective seizure of control and power over something from someone!"

 **Skyler** : "Oooooh…I still don't get it."

 **Blayke** : "You idiot!" (runs up to her, leaning in close and causing her to shrink down) "I'm going to dethrone the most powerful player in this game and take his place!"

 **Skyler** : "OK, I get it now…but how are you going to do that? L's so determined, so tough, so serious…and now he's got a flame-thrower…"

 **Blayke** : "I'm well aware of that. But everyone has a weak point. And I'm going to hit L's very precisely."

 **Skyler** : "How? What's his weak point?"

 **Blayke** : "His heart!" (pounds his own chest)

 **Skyler** : "His heart?"

 **Blayke** : (pounds Skyler's chest, knocking her backward with an "Oof!") "His heart!"

 **Skyler** (recovering from the blow): "Oh, OK…how exactly will you do that?"

 **Blayke** : "You've asked enough questions, and I've given enough answers. Only I can know the precise details. If I were to give you all the details now, it would put the entire plan in jeopardy. But while I can't give you the specifics, what I can tell you is that when it happens, I shall kill two birds with one stone. And when I do, the final two, will be me and you!

 **Skyler** : "Yay!"

 _Returns to Musical Number_

 **Skyler** : It's great that I will be protected  
By a leader so brave and so bold

 **Blayke** : Of course, naturally, you're expected  
To do everything that you're told  
Before I can rise up to my throne  
Before my grand reign can truly be  
Before I can make this game all my own…  
(Spins around and roars at Skyler) YOU CAN'T GET ANY FURTHER WITHOUT ME!  
(Skylrr screams and tumbles to the floor)

So prepare for the move of the season  
Prepare for the greatest treason  
Precise calculations  
Evil deviations  
All of this waiting  
Was simply the baiting  
For my plan so clever  
So evil  
A tremor  
Will shake up this entire game  
Yes my brains and ambitions are bared

Be prepared!

 **Skyler** : Of your plans and intentions, I'm aware

 **Skyler** **and** **Blayke** : Be prepared!

* * *

Almost as if on cue with the end of the song, there was a sound like an explosion next to them, directly beside the pool table, as the entire floor suddenly shot open. Shards of wood and other materials went flying, and through it all, an unusual black shape moved through the brief tower of debris. Blayke and Skyler spun around to face it, Ethan raising the slime-shooter instinctively.

"What in the world?!" He shouted, as the pieces of debris settled down all over the floor.

"I told you!" Skyler shouted back.

Standing before them was a strange, humanoid creature, all black. It was about seven feet tall, with long, sharp fingers at least twice as long as a human finger, and with a face that resembled a cross between a human skull and Ghostface, slime and other kinds of ooze dripping out of the eyes and yawning mouth. A tuft of wild, unruly, and dripping hair on top of the head completed the outrageous picture.

Although he still didn't consider it a threat, Blayke couldn't help but stare it at as he lowered the nozzle, outright disgusted by its appearance.

Then, with a quick motion, its head split open right down the middle, and a third arm shot out of where the head had been.

His brief expression of shock and fear vanished in an instant.

"Oh, come ON! Really, Isabelle?!" He shouted up to the ceiling. "Are you THAT unoriginal that you steal the exact same look and MO as the creature from The Th-."

His rant was cut off as the arm grabbed him around the neck. Though not tight enough to cut off his breathing, it still had a firm grip on him. Both of his hands grabbed the creature's hand and attempted to pry it off, to no avail.

It roared again.

"SKYLER! DO SOMETHING, YOU IDIOT!"

Skyler, shaking off her own horror, weakly aimed her slime-shooter as it started swinging Blayke around the room like a baseball bat. First, it slammed him straight through the green light fixture, smashing it with a powerful crash as the shards flew in all directions. Two of the light bulbs sparked, briefly flashing blue, then disintegrated. He screamed in pain and fear now as he realized how real the threat really was.

Skyler pulled the trigger on her slime-shooter, but the creature had started to turn at that moment, swinging Ethan into the path of the slime.

He could only feel the wet gunk splattering all over his legs and backside, and screamed. "SKYLER, YOU FOOL!"

"Sorry!"

It then swung Blayke around again, bashing him against the video game console at the very end of the row. It brushed him harshly along, using his body to knock over all the games like giant dominoes, a new sharp pain with each hit.

"OW! OW! OW! OW!"

It then smashed him into the bookcase, breaking it apart and sending books flying everywhere.

"OW! SKYLER, I SAID DO SOMETHING!"

"I'm trying!" She aimed again and fired, but only hit the creature's back, not doing any damage whatsoever.

"AND YOU'RE – OW! – FAILING!"

The creature swung him right into the long window, smashing the glass and allowing the frigid air to burst in with a powerful WHOOSH! and a shattering of glass. It then proceeded to drag him through the rest of the window, smashing away the rest of the intact glass and letting a long, thin stream of snow blow in through the newly-opened hole. It then pulled him out, lowered him slightly, then dragged him across all the neatly lined-up nightstands, and every single one of their glass lamps.

"OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!"

It swung him around again, bashing him through the remains of the light fixture, before stumbling through the large doorway and into the bar. It then swung him across the bar, smashing and/or knocking over all of the neatly lined-up glasses, each with a light tinkling of glass as he dragged over the counter-top.

Then, like with the window, it lowered him just enough so that he was level with the stools, and dragged him roughly through those, banging hard against the metal and even dislodging some from where they were bolted to the counter.

"OW! OW! OWWWWW! O-OW! BLARGH! SKYLER!"

"I can't help it! All I can do is be clumsy!"

…

Then she thought about these words for a moment.

"Be clumsy? …BE CLUMSY! THAT'S IT!"

"YOU – OW! – JUST NOW REALIZED – OWW! – THAT YOU'RE CLUMSY?!"

"No! I mean, I know how to beat this thing!"

She fired again, aiming this time at the creature's feet.

"I can beat my own being clumsy by making IT be clumsy!"

She was careful to not only hit its feet, but spread the slime around on the floor around it, creating a puddle of the slippery, sticky liquid.

Her plan, surprisingly, began to work, and the creature noticeably began to slip around in the slime, as well as its own slime that continued dripping from its face. It started to slip right back into the main area, alongside the pool table.

Then, finally, just as it was next to the table, between the table and the newly-broken window, it lost its balance and slipped, falling straight to the side and finally releasing Blayke.

The redhead screamed, and cried "OW!" one more time as he smashed through the still barely-dangling remains of the light fixture, flew over the table, and into the hole in the floor from which the creature had emerged, vanishing into darkness. The creature fell straight onto the pool table and smashed it clean in half, billiard balls flying into the air.

Skyler cringed and raised the nozzle to protect herself as the heavy balls flew in all directions, some smashing into the floor at her feet, some hitting the walls and creating dents.

And one fell into the hole and hit Blayke on the head.

"OW!"

Skyler slowly lowered her nozzle, aiming at the wrecked pool table, and approaching cautiously as the dust and the billiard balls settled.

The creature was motionless, lying directly between the broken halves of the table, slime still slowly dripping from its head, the third arm that had been flailing Blayke around flopped over like it was broken.

Skyler then moved over to the hole in the floor.

"Blayke?"

A low sound – a gurgle mixed with a moan – responded.

"I can't see you down there…so I'm gonna lower this nozzle down for you to grab onto, and I'll pull you up. OK?"

"Uh-huh." The voice responded.

"OK." She knelt down on the floor and lowered the nozzle into the black hole, waiting for a few seconds before feeling a brief tug on the unseen end of it. She then saw a single, pale hand reach up out of the blackness and grab onto the nozzle higher up.

"OK, now hang on!"

She then threw herself back with all her might, and just barely managed to lift Blayke out of the hole. He was covered in cuts and bruises, and as soon as he landed right next to her, his arms instantly wrapped around his stomach as he rolled around in pain.

"Ooooooh…God, everything hurts. Everything…"

"OK, let me just help you up…" She softly put hand on the side of his stomach and the other on one of his arms, starting to lift him up.

"OOOOIIIIEOOOOWWW!" He bellowed. "NO! OW! NO! THAT HURTS! THAT HU-U-U-URTS!"

Out of shock at his shouting, she dropped him, his head banging against the floor.

"OOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWW!

"Sorry, sorry!"

"Uuuuugggghhhh…."

* * *

 **Chyna and Wendy…**

"…and then I was like, 'So you think you can fit in that?' And she was like, 'Oh, I know I can fit in that!' And the whole time, that stupid alarm is going off, and the world is practically spinning all around us. And then…"

Just before Chyna could reach the punch line of her latest story, a sound suddenly went off. They both stopped dead in their tracks, Chyna's chatter ceasing as she raised her slime shooter and looked around cautiously. It was an unusual sound. It sounded almost like a growl and a roar mixed together, with a metallic echo to it. The walls even seemed to shake from the intensity of the roar.

Chyna glanced around wildly, shaking the nozzle of the slime shooter in all directions.

"What was that? What was that?!" Wendy asked nervously.

"I don't know, but I guess there is something in here!"

"Oh, come on…you don't really believe that, do you? It's obviously a set-up for the challenge."

"That may be true, but that doesn't mean it's not dangerous."

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked.

"Remember Total Drama Action?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, those crazy creatures were used as set-ups for the challenges, but they still packed a serious punch, didn't they?"

Another deep, metallic groan as the walls shook.

"Well, yeah…some of them, anyway."

"Exactly!" Chyna exclaimed. "So whatever that thing is, I'm not taking my chances!"

Just then, the ceiling in front of them suddenly burst open, allowing for a massive, slimy shape to drop down in front of them. It was mostly green, but with a slimy brown and yellow liquid dripping off its body. It was a strange, bulbous shape, but with numerous tentacles waving around from all sides.

It had a single long neck sticking out the front, with a head that looked like a wolf's head, though obviously deformed. The eyes were black and seemingly lifeless, and its teeth were long, yellow, and threateningly sharp. It had two long, bulky arms sticking out of the top, with three thick, clawed fingers on each.

It then issued a noise at them, not quite like the earlier noise, but with more of a whining and scratchiness to it, nearly unbearable in how high-pitched it was.

"Wow. Really?" Chyna asked, more in bewilderment than shock or anger. "This is totally just like that dog creature from The Th-."

Once again, the creature's roar silenced the accusation of plagiarism, and it started waving its tentacles around more fiercely, several whipping towards them. One smacked Chyna across the face with a wet slap.

"Oh HECK no! OH NO YOU DI'IN'T!" She roared, aiming her slime shooter and firing.

The green jet splattered all over the creature, covering its head and several tentacles. It screeched again, its head twisting and turning as if in pain or confusion.

But even then, it began moving towards the two girls slowly.

"Uh, oh crap! This doesn't seem to be working!" Chyns declared as she continued unleashing the spray of slime, squeezing the trigger harder as if more slime would shoot out.

Wendy looked back at the hallway behind them, in the direction they had previously been coming from before the creature attacked.

"Looks like we're gonna have to backtrack!" She responded.

"You go first, and keep an eye out for anyone else!"

As Wendy turned and headed back down the hall, Chyna slowly started walking backwards, unleashing the consistent trail of slime even as the creature followed her.

Wendy then reached a T-intersection, with the perpendicular hallway branching out in either direction. She looked to the left and saw nothing, but when she looked to the right she saw two other contestants.

* * *

 **Logan and Katelyn…**

"So you don't like Shakespeare?"

"Yeah, sorry." Katelyn admitted reluctantly.

"Oh, don't be. You're definitely not the first." He smiled.

"I do like the Crocodile Hunter, because contrary to his title, he treats the animals with such respect and care, and shows the world how beautiful they are, not dangerous."

"Now there's some common ground for the both of us." Logan replied. "I myself enjoyed Steve Irwin as a child. Although he has not been gone from this world for long, it's safe to say…'Now he belongs to the ages.'" You do know that quote, don't you?"

"I've heard it somewhere. Didn't someone say that, like, after JFK was shot?"

Logan chuckled. "No, I'm afraid. You're off by about 100 years. 98, to be exact. Edwin M. Stanton said it, shortly after Abraham Lincoln was declared dead."

"Ah."

Then, suddenly, they saw another figure further down the hallway. Logan instantly recognized it as Wendy.

"Logan! Katelyn!"

"What is it?" Logan asked, picking up the pace as he approached, Katelyn right behind him.

Before Wendy could answer, the screech and roar sounded off to the side. Logan and Katelyn, finally arriving at the T in the hallway, turned and looked.

Both of their jaws dropped in awe.

Chyna was now about 15 feet away and still backing up slowly, the distance between her and the creature decreasing gradually.

"Whoa! What IS that thing?!" Katelyn asked in horror. Logan could only stare in pure shock, eyebrows raised.

"I don't know, but it's resilient, resistant, and persistent!" Chyna informed them, backing up alongside Wendy, with all four of them now side-by-side. She finally released her trigger, and looked at Logan.

"Logan, on my go, aim and we'll fire together! Maybe two blasts will drive it back a little! Alright?"

Shaking off the shock, Logan raised his nozzle. "You got it."

"OK. On three. Ready? THREE!"

They both pulled the triggers and fired, the twin jets hitting the creature just below its hideous wolf-like head. It screeched and flailed its tentacles and head around wildly, but its massive body began inevitably sliding backwards from the force of the jets. It continued roaring even as it moved away from its intended prey.

While Chyna and Logan continued firing, Wendy glanced down the hallway to her right, opposite the direction Logan and Katelyn had come, and saw a staircase about 30 feet down, leading up to a higher level.

"Hey, guys! There's a staircase over there! Let's head up!"

"Right behind you!" Katelyn agreed.

"Alright, just give us a few more seconds to drive it back!" Chyna replied.

Wendy and Katelyn raced ahead to the staircase, pulling themselves up two steps at a time until they reached the door at the top. Katelyn twisted the doorknob and threw it open, helping Wendy in and then waiting for their two friends.

"Guys!"

"Logan! Chyna! Come on!"

After a few more seconds, they could hear Chyna yell, "OK, go!"

Soon, both of them appeared at the foot of the stairs, racing up as fast as their heavy slime-shooters would allow. Logan came up first, with Chyna taking up the rear. As soon as she was through, Wendy slammed the door shut.

"Alright!" Chyna cheered, pumping her fists in the air. "We drove it back down the hall, and there's no way it can follow us up here! It'll never fit up that staircase or through the doorway! We're totally safe now!"

Then, there was a sudden crashing sound behind them, just outside the door. Chyna and Logan spun around, the former staying close to the door while Logan backed up just behind Anna.

"What in the world?" Chyna asked, inching closer to the door and slowly moving to open it.

She glanced back at Logan, who nodded and held his nozzle ready.

Chyna nodded back, then pulled the door open, quickly aiming out the door.

There was nothing there.

"What the…?!" She leaned out over where the staircase had been, as the entire staircase was now wrecked. Splintered fragments of the steps hung down from their places or were scattered on the floor below. The handrails were broken in several places, only a few segments still firmly in place.

"Huh. Well that's weird." She closed the door and turned to face them. "It destroyed the staircase, but it's not out there now."

Then, all of a sudden, the floor burst out right underneath Chyna, the blonde disappearing in a shower of debris with a shrill shriek of shock and fear. Once she fell out of sight, her screaming could still be heard, accompanied by a "No! No! NO!" before she was silenced.

"OH MY GOD!" Katelyn screamed.

Then the floor started breaking open ahead of them, almost like a submarine just below the surface of the water, with a large ripple tearing through the floor and heading straight for them.

"RUN!" Logan screamed.

Katelyn, Logan, and Wendy all turned around, but the ripple was already upon Katelyn, pulling her under the floor.

"NO!"

Logan, hearing her scream, managed to spin around and kneel down, grabbing one hand and keeping her from falling through. He struggled with all his might, but the unseen force down below continued pulling, and the animal lover's hand slipped right out of his. Her wide, fearful eyes were the last thing to vanish into the darkness.

Logan shot up to his feet, staring at the hole below. The roaring and screeching sounded again, and the floor started collapsing again. He backed up and started to turn around, but then suddenly felt the floor vanish under him as well. With a final yelp, he plunged into the darkness as well.

Wendy continued on, sprinting down the hall and not daring to look back. She could hear the sound of the exploding floor following her, but didn't want to check on whether or not it was closer or further. She turned down every corner, dodged into every doorway, weaved in and out in any way she could to escape the unseen force. But no matter where she went, she felt that it was inevitably drawing closer…

* * *

 **Rosalina [and Mona]…**

It had been a while now since Rosalina turned around casually and, quite shockingly, found that mona was gone. Although she practically backtracked through the entire compound, she couldn't find Mona or any of her other teammates. The slime-shooter held up protectively at all times, she was now desperate to find someone else, anybody else, in the building besides her.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she thought she heard footsteps approaching, but she couldn't tell from where.

"Hello? Logan? Mona?"

She turned a corner, and almost collided with wendy as she came racing down the hall, pivoting sharply on her left foot and dashing down the hall that Mary had just come from.

"Whoa! Wendy, wait! What's going on?!"

"JUST RUN!" She yelled behind her.

Rosalina then heard a strange crashing sound, dragging on as if in slow-motion. She turned and looked down the hall that Wendy had just come from, and saw the floor breaking away all down the hall, as if something was tearing it out from underneath.

Eyes wide, Rosalina stumbled backwards a bit before turning and running. She dashed for the nearest door that she saw, which was marked "Laboratory #1." As she entered, she stole a quick glance behind her and saw – to her horror – that the shape had not turned at the corner where Wendy had run, but was continuing straight for her.

While looking back, she crashed into an operating table, tumbling to the floor as metal tools clanged and banged to the floor all around her. She scrambled to her feet and dashed through, weaving between other operating tables, counters, and shelves of glass test tubes and microscopes.

She entered another doorway and stopped.

It was a dead end.

Turning around to face the oncoming creature, she backed up against the wall and aimed her slime-shooter.

It drew closer, entering the first part of the laboratory…

She fired, the jet of slime soaring over the floor and falling through the newly-forming hole in the floor, falling down onto whatever was underneath.

Just as it entered the backroom she was in, a few feet from the wall she was backed up against, it stopped soundlessly.

Rosalina, breathing slowly and heavily, lowered the nozzle and approached the edge of the destroyed floor. She peered in through the gaping hole, trying to see her pursuer through the darkness.

She tried, but just couldn't make out any shapes…

Then, with a quick jerking force, the floor burst out from under her, and she felt something slimy wrap around both her legs, pulling her down into the hole faster than the gravity would.

* * *

 **Blayke and Skyler…**

Although it took him about twenty minutes to fully recover from his beating, with Skyler knelt beside him and holding him the entire time, Blayke was finally back up on his feet, stumbling awkwardly through the halls with Skyler helping him keep his balance. Surprisingly, she offered some pretty steady support, and hadn't yet tripped or fallen onto him, or something along those lines.

They soon entered a rather bare room with benches lining the walls and a single door, with a small, single, square glass window on it looking out into the bleak, desolate landscape around them. Skyler leaned up against it and looked out. She could actually see the landing strip in the distance, with the Jet sitting idly in the middle of it.

"I'll bet he's sitting in first-class with a steaming cup of cocoa and cookies or something." She muttered.

"Probably." Blayke mumbled back.

Then they heard rapid footsteps approaching. They both turned and looked out another doorway into an adjoining hallway…

…and L entered the room, flame-thrower at the ready. He lowered it when he saw them.

"You guys see anything yet? Any clues? Any others? Any creatures?"

"No. No. Yes." Skyler answered, neatly in order.

"Really? Where was it?"

"It nearly mauled me to death in the rec room." Blayke grumbled.

"Oh, yeah. You don't look too good." L commented.

A sudden, startling roar from further down another hallway alerted them, and L quickly raised his flame-thrower, creeping towards the doorway that Blayke and Skyler had come in. Just before he could leave the room, Wendy stumbled in and landed right in his arms, causing him to drop the flame-thrower.

"Wendy! What happened?"

"Oh…Oh my…It…" She was nearly out of breath from exhaustion and fear, and unable to articulate more than three words.

"Wendy, what is it?" Her boyfriend asked again, noticeably more worried.

"It…horrible…chase…Chyna, Katelyn…and Logan…gone…"

"It got them?" L asked fearfully. "All three of them? How?"

"It…breaks through…the floor…it's under…the…floor…"

"Under the floor, is it?"

"Yes…coming…for us…It got…Rosalina…but it's…coming back."

L sat her down gently on the nearest bench and went out into the hall, glancing to the right from which Wendy had come running in. He listened carefully and, after a moment, could hear the sound of crashing and smashing approaching.

Glancing around the hallway, thinking of a plan as fast as he could, his eyes settled on a nearby shelf, piled with crates and other equipment. The shelf itself, made out of metal, looked fairly heavy on its own…

"Blayke! Skyler! Give me a hand here!"

A groan responded, followed a few seconds later by Skyler's voice. "He's pretty beat, remember?"

L glanced back in the room, and saw Blayke also sitting on a bench, leaning back against the wall with a dazed look on his face.

"Oh. Right. Well then, you come help me!"

Skyler followed him out and went up to the shelf alongside him.

"What do we do?"

"Help me drag this thing into the middle of the hallway, about 10 feet from the entrance to that room. If this thing tears the floor out from underneath, then how about we give it a little more than it bargained for?"

Skyler understood, and grabbed the other side.

"OK, ready? Heave!"

They both put all their strength into it and started dragging it into the middle of the hallway, turning it around so that its width nearly blocked off the entire corridor.

"Alright, that's good!" L squeezed out from between the shelf and the wall, moving back towards the other room, with Skyler right behind him.

"Skyler, get Blayke. We've got to get both of them out of this room!"

As L helped the exhausted Wendy to her feet, Skyler helped Blayke up off the bench. Together, the two of them dragged their partners out of the room, moving down the hall opposite the direction of the newly-placed roadblock. L leaned Wendy up against one wall, while Skyler leaned Blayke up against the opposite wall.

"OK, now you two just stay here." L told them. "Skyler, stand next to me and get your slime-shooter ready."

"Do you really need my help? I mean, a slime-shooter like this is pretty useless compared to your flame-thrower…"

Behind them, the last word struck a very sensitive cord in Wendy's mind. But through her exhaustion, all she could do was repeat the word in a soft whisper.

"…flame-thrower?..."

"It's better than no help." L replied, not hearing his girlfriend's mutter.

"OK."

L and Skyler – two rivals but now united – stood side-by-side, both nozzles aimed in the direction of the shelf.

They waited, tightening their grips and holding heir breath as the crashing drew closer.

Then, through the shelf, they could see as the ripple in the floor appeared around the corner further down the hall, turning sharply as it headed straight for them and the roadblock they had placed between them.

"Ready…ready…wait for it…"

The floor then fell out underneath the shelf, which dropped immediately like a rock, weighed down by all of the heavy equipment on the already-heavy frame.

It sounded below the floor with a loud slam, a crash of metal against meaty flesh, and the ripple stopped instantly with a painful roar.

"OK, NOW!" L commanded.

He and Skyler fired their fire and slime blasts through the hole in the floor, down onto the unseen monster. The flames and the liquid would've hit their mark, had it not been for the relatively protective cover of equipment and the metal frame of their obstacle. It gave the creature just enough time to move out of the way of their blasts.

As the two of them continued firing, Blayke stirred and watched as the flames continued shooting out of Mr. L's nozzle. He glanced over weakly at Wendy, who was staring with wide, horrified eyes…

…the plan…

Through his pain and weakness, the single thought registered.

My plan…It's now or never…

Mustering all his strength, he pushed himself off the wall and stumbled forward towards his teammate and his rival. He shuffled his feet along the metal floor, slowly moving up to stand directly between them.

Knowing he had to provide a cover for what he was about to do, he started raising his nozzle as if to join in, then issued a long "Ooooh…" and stumbled backwards and to his left, colliding with L and – in a quick, swift, and obscure movement – used his nozzle to catch Mr. L's and knock it up and back behind him.

The jet of fire shot up into the air above them, blasting off the ceiling and spreading out in all directions, instantly redirecting the heat so that all four of them felt it. Skyler glanced up, saw the flames, and threw herself to the floor for cover. Even as L fell, his finger still instinctively clutched the trigger – just what Blayke was hoping for.

As he fell completely backward, the nozzle was no longer pointing straight up. It was now pointing behind him.

Wendy could only stare in mute horror as the wall of fire that had previously been above her was now coming down towards her. Then, just as she began to react and drop to the floor, the flaming stream was upon her.

Fortunately, she had moved just fast enough to duck under it, but the flames still enveloped her for a brief moment that seemed to last for hours.

No part of her caught on fire, but that didn't matter. She might as well have been engulfed from head to toe in the fire that surrounded her. She then hit the floor, the fire shooting above her just inches from her face.

And the entire time, from the moment she saw the fire above her to the moment she hit the floor, she issued a long, shrill, horrified scream that was – almost too perfectly – mostly drowned out by the roar of the monster and the sound of crashing somewhere nearby. At the end of her scream, she completely blacked out.

L sat up in a brief, dazed stupor. He had no idea what had just happened, as he didn't even see Blayke crash into him.

He looked around him and saw only the fire that had engulfed the hallway and Blayke slumped over on the floor a few feet behind him, and Skyler a little further away, at the entrance to the smaller room with the benches.

Then he heard a crashing sound and looked behind him.

The floor further away in the opposite direction was now caving in. Although the flames blocked his view, this quickly swallowed up his unconscious girlfriend in a few seconds.

Scrambling to his feet and turning around, he took aim with the flame-thrower and fired again, but the floor continued to cave in as it drew closer.

He looked back over his shoulder, but saw that the floor all the way down the hallway behind him was already gone, so he was cornered.

At the same time, Blayke was beginning to climb to his feet too, now on his knees beside L. "What happened?" He asked, rubbing his head and continuing the charade that their collision was an accident.

Thinking quickly, he glanced up and saw the long bar of light hanging from the ceiling above him, its white glow encased in a plastic rectangle. Raising his flame-thrower's nozzle, he jerked it up into the light and smashed one end of it, severing one of the two cords that held it up and sending that end swinging down from the ceiling like a pendulum.

L moved aside out of its path, but the unsuspecting Blayke wasn't so lucky.

The light smashed against the back of his head with a light crash, shards of glass and plastic flying everywhere in the midst of a brief burst of sparks. The redhead collapsed and fell forward, slamming facedown against the floor.

"Sorry, bro." L muttered half-heartedly.

He then reached up and grabbed onto the hanging light, hoping that the cord would just be enough to hold him, and pulled himself up off the floor just as the unseen creature broke away the last of the floor where he had been standing just moments earlier. Blayke's unconscious form fell into the abyss amidst the flames.

L held on with all his strength, glancing down at the hole then back up at the cord attached to the ceiling, with four screws surrounding the spot where it was connected. But already, the metal plate that the screws were in began to break free, dust breaking away in small bursts.

The growl of the creature sounded below.

L glanced around frantically, his eyes settling on the entrance to the smaller room. He saw Skyler standing in the doorway, nozzle out and looking down into the hole where a hallway had been a few seconds earlier.

"Blayke?!" She called worriedly. "BLAYKE!"

L paused for a moment, then swung his legs forward, then back, causing the entire light fixture to swing with him like a swing at a playground.

He swung forward again, aiming for the doorway, then back for the final time. Putting all his effort into it, he swung forward and flew through the air towards the doorway.

He barely managed to land it at the very edge of the hole, right next to Skyler. In his panic and struggle to keep his balance, he grabbed onto Skyler's shoulder and pulled himself forward. However, his weight pulling on Jessica caused her to tumble forward and fall right into the flaming pit with a shrill scream.

Then, a moment later, the light fixture finally gave way as the metal plate broke free, sending the bulk of the light falling into the chasm right on top of Skyler, silencing her scream with another crash.

L leaned out of the doorway and observed the chaos around him. The floor of the adjoining hallway was completely gone, the walls and ceiling were on fire, and all of the other three contestants and the creature were gone.

And, aside from the roaring and flickering of the flames, it was completely silent.

He backed away from the doorway, feeling safer as he moved away from the gaping hole. He looked back at the other doorway in the room, and saw a staircase leading down, snow and ice forming the walls below the level he was on.

With a final glance back into the ruined hallway, he turned and went down the staircase. He could feel water dripping onto him from the ceiling as the nearby fire spread and began to take its toll on the snow and ice.

Judging from the sudden decreasing of manmade structures around him, he knew he was heading into the basement. As he reached the door at the base of the staircase, he thought he heard an explosion sounding from behind and above him.

He reached the door and turned the knob, giving it a firm push. It didn't budge. After pressing against it with his whole body, it finally swung open. He found himself standing in a massive ice cavern, with the floor, walls, and ceiling all made of snow, water now dripping down freely in multiple areas.

There were pipes running along the walls and ceiling, and another staircase, leading even further down, was carved into the snow to his right. Ahead of him on the lower level, there was the entrance to a tunnel that seemed to be sloping upward as it went further.

He turned and headed down the ice staircase, but underestimated how slippery it really was. His foot swung outward in front of him, and he instantly lost his balance.

With a brief yelp of surprise, he slid down the staircase and slid a few more feet at the bottom before he slowly came to a stop. Sitting upright, he shook his head.

As he staggered to his feet, nearly slipping again on the ice, he heard a low rumbling sound behind him. He spun around to face the direction of the sound, slowly sidestepping towards the tunnel at the opposite end.

Just as he was halfway across the room, there was an explosion of snow, ice, and sound as the ice staircase was destroyed from the inside. It was so close that the force of the blast sent L flying across the room, his flame-thrower falling free and tumbling across the room from him.

L was lying sideways on the ground, and slowly turned around and sat up straight. When the debris settled, there was a whole new creature towering before him, unlike anything he or the others had ever seen before.

It was about 15 feet tall, with a thick, trunk-like body that had a curled tail sticking out the back, and a single foot – shaped like a dog's, but with webbing between the clawed toes – sticking out from the front and the right.

There was a bulky, humongous human-like arm sticking out of its left, fist clenching and unclenching, while its right arm was long and spindly, with two sharp claws at the end that snapped together like a pincher.

Its head was like a human head, but its mouth was massive and had an extended snout like a dog would, its teeth massive and threatening.

It was mostly brown and pale tan, with red, brown, green, and yellow liquids streaming down its body. Its roar was like a screeching cat, a lion's roar, and a wolf's howl. It lowered its massive head, beady eyes staring down the snout like the barrel of a gun, and locked onto him.

L started scooting backwards slowly, glancing sideways at his flame-thrower, just barely out of reach.

The creature saw what direction he was looking, roared again, and a tentacle burst out of its stomach, flopping down right next to L, separating him from the weapon.

L threw himself to the left at the impact of the tentacle, landing next to a few metal barrels with an unlit lantern on top. He glanced up at the barrels for a moment, and his eyes locked onto the glass of the lantern. Glancing back up at the creature, he slowly climbed to his feet and reached for the lantern.

It roared and shrieked again, several more tentacles shooting out of its body from the front and sides, dancing around menacingly.

Lantern in hand, he slowly shuffled back to the right, moving closer to the tentacle that was blocking his flame-thrower. At the same time, he dared to inch just a bit closer to the monster, which also began to move towards him.

Then, with a quick movement, he raised the lantern over his head and threw it with all his might forward and down, aiming at the single foot sticking out of the creature. It hit right on, and the glass smashed onto the foot with a small crash.

The creature hissed loudly, its blocking tentacle lifting up and waving for a moment before it swung the massive arm at L from the side.

L, anticipating this, ducked and rolled under it as it swung over him, then scrambled over to the flame-thrower. Without even bothering to put it on, he raised the nozzle, put a finger around the trigger, and fired.

The stream of fire hit the creature instantly, catching it by the side and the human-like arm, as well as the tips of several tentacles. It shrieked again, though this time out of pain rather than anger.

Picking up the flame-thrower by the strap with one hand while clutching the nozzle with the other, L turned and dashed for the ice tunnel, stopping at its entrance to give the creature one final blast of the flame as he strapped it back on.

The flames shot up along the creature's front, engulfing the crushed foot, the spindly arm, and the head and remaining tentacles. The creature was now totally engulfed in flames, roaring at him and flailing wildly in all directions…

…then the creature exploded, sending L flying backwards into the ice tunnel and bringing down the walls and ceiling of the ice cavern all around it.

L struggled to get to his feet as massive chunks of ice plunged down into the room, just a few feet from where he was. He turned and started struggling up the slope, hoping that it would lead him outside.

* * *

 **Meanwhile…**

At the Jet, in the temporary control center for this particular challenge, Isabelle nearly exploded himself when he saw this unfolding on the monitor.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF JOHN CARPENTER IS THAT?!"

Carl, sitting in the chair next to him, instantly flew to the side and collapsed to the floor, his chair falling over with him, at Isabelle's outburst. The remote control flew from his hands and clattered across the floor, stopping a few feet away

"DID THAT THING JUST EXPLODE?!" She turned to Carl. "DID THAT THING JUST EXPLODE?!"

"Um, it would…(gulp)…appear so, ma'am."

"HOW DOES THAT THING JUST UP AND EXPLODE LIKE THAT?!"

"Well, that's why I was so quick to move it away whenever he shot a blast of fire at it. You see, the materials we used to produce the skin and ooze of the various creatures contains a highly flammable component…"

"THEN WHY THE HECK WAS THERE A FLAME-THROWER IN THE PLACE TO BEGIN WITH?! WHY WOULD YA'LL LEAVE A FLAME-THROWER FOR ONE OF THEM PUNKS TO FIND IF THOSE CREATURES ARE FLAMMABLE?!"

"We…We didn't leave it there, sir. It must've been left over from the production of the film that they shot here. They used real flame-throwers for that picture, sir."

A metaphorical storm cloud over her head, Isabelle facepalmed and leaned back in the chair.

"Ugh. Well, I guess we should go get him and the rest of those turds and bring them back to the rest before-." She lifted the hand up just enough to glance at the monitor again.

Carl had just managed to climb to his feet when another roaring outburst sent him flying backwards again.

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

From where he was lying on the floor, Carl glanced at the monitor that the furious host was pointing at, and saw the building above the ice cavern collapsing, falling in on itself as well as falling into the ground beneath it.

"IS THAT CRAP COLLAPSING?!"

"Well, the explosion took out the entire basement, and those air vents run through the entire compound, so the force of the explosion and the collapse will undoubtedly start a chain reaction that will…um…(gulp)…cause the whole compound to collapse?"

Isabelle's scream at that moment could be heard all throughout the Jet, right down to Rain, Mona, Toadette, Chyna, Katelyn, Logan, and Rosalina, as they sat on the bleachers at the elimination area as instructed. They all lifted their heads up at the sound, and some cowered.

* * *

 **Meanwhile...**

L finally reached the top of the tunnel, emerging into the cold air just as the sun began setting over some mountains in the distance. He turned and looked back at the compound.

His jaw dropped, and the flame-thrower's nozzle fell from his hands. Although he had heard the crashing and the booming, and felt the shaking the entire time he was in the tunnel, he didn't expect this.

The entire compound was gone, most structures either collapsed in on themselves or destroyed by explosions. Burning wreckage dotted the camp, some fires freshly put out by the snow.

His knees buckled and he collapsed to the snow, breathing a huge sigh of shock and relief at the same time.

Just then, he heard the whirring of a motor behind him, and turned to see Isabelle and Carl pull up in the white golf cart with the trailer from earlier dragging behind it.

And the former looked extremely mad.

"BOY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?! GOING AND WRECKING THIS WHOLE COMPOUND, I OUGHTA KICK YOU OUT OF THIS GAME!"

Too tired to argue, he simply shrugged. "I was just fighting off the creatures that you obviously sent to hunt us down. Am I right?"

The fuming Isabelle reached down and, with one hand, tore the flame-thrower from L's back, both straps breaking as she picked up the weapon and tossed it as far as she could into the snow.

"Get up and get in that trailer. As furious as I am, I can't deny that you won the challenge for your team, fair and square."

"Really?" His eyes widened. "So, the whole thing about finding clues…?"

"Obviously, that was just a set-up. The real challenge was to outlast the others. Whichever team with the last person standing won, and yadda-yadda-yadda. Now get in that trailer! We gotta find your girlfriend, redhead, and clumsy!"

And so, with L in the trailer behind them, Isabelle and Carl drove through the wreckage, weaving in and out of large pieces of debris, until they saw a single figure in the snow, waving her arms around frantically and shouting.

"It's Skyler." L told them.

The cart moved in, but even as they drew closer, she still seemed rather distressed, waving and hollering until they were right next to her. Once they got out, she ran up to them, eyes wide and voice exhausted.

"I'm so glad you guys are here! Blayke and Wendy, they're not doing so well!"

"What?" Carl and Matthew asked, both noticeably concerned while Isabelle simply raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah! They're both over here! Hurry!"

She turned and gestured for them to follow, dashing through the wreckage to a flat area, a burning piece of wreckage a few yards away and snow on the other three sides. Lying down on the floor were Blayke and Wendy. Blayke was unconscious, but still breathing, while Wendy was wide-awake.

She was lying flat on her back and staring straight up at the sky, her eyes wide and her chest rising and falling rapidly as she took short, gasping breaths. Her hair and clothes were singed, the smell of smoke still drifting off of her.

L, at the sight of his girlfriend, instantly lost it and dashed up to her, throwing himself to his knees next to her as he picked up her head and looked into her eyes.

"Wendy! Wendy, it's me! L! What's wrong?"

She continued breathing rapidly, looking straight ahead and not saying anything or giving any acknowledgement that she heard him.

"Wendy, are you alright?"

L then reached over to pull her closer to him, and in grabbing her left arm, he felt an unusual presence on her arm that didn't feel like her normal, smooth skin. Leaning over her to look at her arm, he saw it: A terrible burn mark, originating at her elbow and running up and down the length of her arm, stopping just above the wrist and just below the shoulder.

His eyes widened and, for a moment, he thought he felt moisture welling up in his eyes.

"Oh, God…Oh, God…She's been burned."

Carl knelt down, maintaining a much calmer appearance as he inspected the burn.

"It doesn't look that serious. I mean, it may look bad, but I've seen my fair share of burns. This might barely be first-degree, but that's it. Not fatal, and probably not scarring for life."

"But that's not the point!" L shouted back, his voice cracking. "Her worst fear is fire! Just being around it makes her panic! She's having a panic attack!"

Carl glanced at Wendy, took note of her rapid breathing, then glanced up at Isabelle.

"This doesn't look good, sir. He's gonna be fine…" He gestured at the unconscious Blayke, with Skyler kneeling next to him and holding him. "…but she needs to get out of here. Like, right now. She needs medical attention."

"Oh, God…Will she…?" L couldn't bring himself to finish.

Carl returned a wry smile. "We've got a medevac on standby, so she'll get some good treatment. She'll make it…but unfortunately…"

Isabelle finished. "Anyone who is removed from the game for medical reasons is permanently removed for the duration of the season."

It took all of 1.7 seconds for L to respond.

"I don't care. And she probably doesn't care either. She needs help, and she needs it NOW!"

Carl nodded and speed-walked back to the golf cart, picking up a radio and holding down the button on the side.

"Yeah, Phil?"

"Phil here, go ahead, Carl." The voice crackled back.

"Yeah, call in the medevac. A contestant out here is burned on the left arm and panicking like crazy. Time to lift her out of here."

"Uh, roger that, Carl. Radioing in the medevac right now."

Within a few minutes, the medevac arrived with surprising speed and efficiency, lowering the gurney down on a steel cable, with the harnesses loose and hanging down on the sides. Carl and Isabelle, forcing L aside, lifted Wendy up off the floor and placed her on the gurney, grabbing the straps on each side and securing her onto the gurney.

Once that was done, Isabelle gave the thumbs-up to the pilot. He returned the gesture, and the gurney slowly started rising back up to the open door on the side, with two more medical personnel ready to pull her in.

Once she was inside, the door slid shut and the massive red and white helicopter took off, thumping away into the whipping wind and snow, disappearing over the mountains.

L, steel kneeling near where Wendy had been a few minutes ago, was shaking as his arms slowly slid across his own stomach. He leaned over and started choking out some brief sobs. His head hung low, shaking side-to-side as he tried to cope with the reality of what had just happened.

Carl looked at Isabelle, then back at the sobbing teen with a noticeable look of sympathy. He glanced back at the host, then gestured with his head at the trailer. Isabelle nodded.

Carl knelt down next to L, offering some half-hearted condolences as he slowly pulled the teen to his feet and guided him back to the trailer.

Isabelle looked back at Skyler, glancing back and forth between Mr. L and Carl, and Isabelle.

"Are you sure Blayke's gonna be alright?"

"Carl is our chief medical expert here. Like he said, redhead is just knocked out. That's all. He's sleeping like a baby and he'll wake up in a couple hours.

And when he does, you can tell him that the two of you earned your team second place for the second time in a row."

Despite Isabelle expecting a reaction of happiness at this news, she simply shook her head. "Does that matter? Did you not just see what happened? Is an elimination really necessary now?"

"You better believe it is. The sooner I can get rid of you all and end this season, the better. Hey, just be grateful that it's Team Sahara sending someone home and not you, alright?"

Skyler looked back down at Blayke, his head slumped against her chest, then back up at Isabelle with a sour look.

"Fine."

* * *

 **A few hours later…**

Team Sahara, for the second time in a row, sat on the bleachers of the elimination area, the frustration even greater than before, though it was somewhat diminished by the shock of what happened to Wendy earlier in the day. Nevertheless, they realized that soon, one of them was going to follow her.

As usual, Rosalina and Katelyn sat alone and opposite the bleachers from each other (with Rosalina on the front bleacher at the far right, while Katelyn sat on the top bleacher at the far left), while Logan and Mona sat next to each other, caught figuratively and literally in the middle of the obvious animosity between the two girls.

Both tried their best to look away from both of the rivals, not wanting a single glance or catching of the eye to betray whom they had voted for.

As expected, both girls had approached them separately and pleaded their case. It was obvious enough that Rosalina would vote for Katelyn while Katelyn would vote for Rosalina, and the two of them were the tie-breakers.

More desperation was clear on Katelyn's side, while Rosalina resorted to a calm, but firm approach, simply stating the facts and – in particular – reminding Mona of the agreement they made back in Celestial Skyway, with Mona being forced to tell Logan about it for the first time since then.

Logan betrayed no emotion, no fear, and no anxiety, while Mona couldn't help but display some nervousness. Even though she knew for a fact that she and Logan were safe, she couldn't help but fear the reaction from the girl she and Logan had agreed to vote for.

"Alright, Team Sahara. For the second time in a row, it is time for one of you to face the ultimate judgment. Three Barf Bags, four losers. Now let's get on with it!

"Logan!"

The Shakespearean caught his Barf Bag, then shared a brief glance with Mona, who smiled back at him as she expected her name to be called next…

"And Rosalina!"

"What?" Rosalina responded in shock, the Barf Bag flying at her seconds later. She instinctively blocked with her hands as it bounced off her wrist, and she lowered her hands again. "What?" She repeated.

The smiles vanished from Logan's and Mona's faces, and expressions of shock filled in.

The bottom two was Mona and Katelyn. Which meant that Mona had to have received at least one vote…or more.

A few beads of sweat had already formed on Nicole's brow. Logan glanced at her nervously, then back at Isabelle and the final Barf Bag.

"Mona and Katelyn…shockingly, it is down to you two. One of you, fortunately, did not receive enough votes to be eliminated. The other, unfortunately, received three. In a landslide vote, the final Barf Bag goes to…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Mona!"

The cheerleader sighed with relief, her whole body instantly relaxing save for her arm, as she reached out to catch the Bag. Logan copied her reaction, and patted her shoulder reassuringly as she set the Bag down.

"Yeah, I lied." Isabelle revealed. "Mona didn't get a single vote, actually. Rosalina got the one vote. But I had to make the bottom two more interesting, or else it wouldn't have been a surprise, right?"

Logan, Mona, and Rosalina, brought back from the brief shock to the reality of who had just been eliminated, all winced, bracing for the impact of Katelyn's explosive reaction.

But, surprisingly, there was no rage. She simply dropped her head, gazing at the floor with a disappointed sigh.

* * *

 **Lavatory Confessional**

 **Katelyn** – Eh, what can I say? I expected it. I mean, with Iggy gone, I was definitely the weaker link. As I predicted, they went for her side. I'm really not that shocked. And if anything, I'm kinda glad to go. After all, it just wasn't the same for me after Iggy left. Maybe this is the karma I deserve, and hopefully the kind of thing that will start to redeem me in Iggy's eyes.

* * *

The animal lover got up and trudged down the bleachers, towards Isabelle and the offered parachute. Strapping it on, she slowly trudged up to the door…

…and as it opened, the blast of cold air instantly shook her out of her depression, and she began chattering and shaking again. At the same instant, a sudden fear swept over her with the wind, as she remembered where they were, and what this meant for where she had to jump.

She was about to parachute down to the coldest and most remote kingdom on the face of the earth.

"Whoa! Wait a minute! You don't seriously expect me to jump here, do you?" She called back.

"Better believe it." Isabelle chuckled, cracking her knuckles.

Then, much to Katelyn's surprise and unexpected comfort, Logan and Mona both stood up.

"Wait, Isabelle. This isn't right. You can't seriously make her jump down there." Logan agreed firmly.

"Yeah." Mona added in. "She could die down there!"

Before Isabelle could respond, the one person they all least expected to speak up did just that.

"I have to agree. It's too cruel." Rosalina chimed in quickly and heavily.

Isabelle and Katelyn were both taken aback by the sudden display of generosity by the very people who had just voted Katelyn out. She couldn't help but crack a crooked smile at her former teammates, realizing that perhaps the feelings weren't so hard after all…

…then, suddenly, she felt a great force slam against her backside, and she tumbled out the door and into the cold, whipping wind.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"I hate sappy moments." Isabelle muttered as she closed the door.

The other three simply stared in shock, mouths agape and eyes wide.

* * *

 **'''Voting Confessionals'''**

 **Logan** – I heard both sides of the argument, and the choice is quite clear. (Stamps Katelyn's passport)

 **Mona** – Logan and I agreed…and besides that, I do have to honor the commitment I made in the last challenge. (Stamps Katelyn's passport)

 **Rosalina** – (Silently stamps Katelyn's passport)

 **Katelyn** – (Sighs) I have a terrible feeling that I just didn't plead my case enough, and Rosalina's got too much sway with the others to make them want to vote for her…but what else can I do? (Stamps Rosalina's passport and tosses it aside)

* * *

 **Voting Results**

 **Logan –** **Katelyn**

 **Rosalina** **–** **Katelyn**

 **Mona –** **Katelyn**

 **Katelyn** **– Rosalina**

 **Total Votes**

 **Katelyn** **– 3**

 **Rosalina** **– 1**

 **Elimination Order: Tanooki Mario, Chyna, Madison, Pauline, Susan, Wario, Isabella, Iggy, Wendy,** **Katelyn**


	16. Victory of Tears Part 1

"Last time on Total Drama Mario World Tour: The three teams finally wound up in a place other than…Soleanna. That's right, for the first time since Episode Two, they left those horrible states behind…in favor of the single most desolate and emptiest continent in the world: Shiveria!

"From there, the contestants were dumped into a creepy, abandoned research outpost, with the task of finding evidence of what exactly happened to the mysteriously-vanished crew of 12 who used to work there.

"Little did they know, they were being pursued by the thing, or things, that caused their disappearances in the first place, now targeting them! One by one, they were picked off by the horrible beasts until only two remained: Whiny winner for Team Victory II and klutzy for Team Madison. In the end, against all thinkable odds, Team Victory II won AGAIN.

However, they suffered their own kind of defeat when one of their own – IQ girl – was struck down by a panic attack after being surrounded by her worst fear: fire. Medically evacuated from the game, Team Victory II finds themselves down one more member even though they won.

"But the fun didn't end there. Another elimination was still set to take place, which befell the losing team: Team Sahara.

It really was a no-brainer, as Animal Mother was voted off by a landslide vote, sending her off to catch up to her crush and making the first of our newbies to be officially eliminated.

"There's a lot in store for this next challenge! What might it be, you might ask? That is certainly the million-dollar…or, in this case, the two-million-dollar question. You'll be on the edge of your seat from the action, the suspense, the chaos, and above all…THE EPICNESS. Get ready for this fantastic new episode of Total…Drama Mario…World Tour!"

* * *

L tried to relax. But even after his fourth straight can of Dr. Pepper, he couldn't get over it. His mind was a swirling wreck. He wasn't quite sure what he was feeling. Was it anger? Sadness? Regret?

He tried to find companionship in his teammates, but then he realized that only two were left. The two he could've related to the best, and the two who were most willing to talk to him – Wario and Tanooki – were gone. His girlfriend was gone.

There was only the psychopath (by comparison, he would've had a much better chance talking to a brick wall) and Rain, who had been dramatically distanced from the others ever since Tanooki's elimination in the first place. Even after he had tried to express his feelings and tell her his story last week, he still just felt empty and distant.

He truly was alone.

He sighed, and lazily lifted the can up to his mouth for another long gulp of soda.

For once…victory isn't so sweet anymore…anymore…

"Alright, potholes! We're nearing our next destination, so head on down to the elimination area to prepare for landing, and await my arrival: I've got a big announcement for ya'll!" Isabelle's voice declared loudly.

After the voice left the intercom, L sluggishly pulled himself out of the chair, spilling some soda on the chair's right armrest. He trudged past the bar, tossing the can into the nearby trashcan.

At that moment, Chyna leapt out in front of him from out of nowhere.

"Hey there, boyo! Why so down? Why so blue? Why so…so…unlike you?"

"I'd rather not talk about it." He muttered.

"Oh, come on…tell Chyna about it! Chyna is great at talking to people! Come on…you know you want to…"

"I'm fine, Chyna. Thanks for your concern." He wandered off, leaving Chyna behind scratching her head.

* * *

 **Lavatory** **Confessional**

 **Mr. L** – It's, like, impossible to describe. I just want to cry it all out, but I can't. I just…I'm devastated. She's really…gone. And not just that, but the way she left. What a horrible way to go out. I just wish…I could do it all over again. She was right…Wendy was right…Rain was right…They were all right…I was wrong…

* * *

The entire cast had gathered in the elimination area, preparing for the landing, and were sitting on the wooden bleachers when Isabelle's voice came over the intercom.

"As I said earlier, we are now nearing our destination. Just go ahead and take a look through the door at the beautiful lake below us."

"Lake? Oh, for the love of God, are we over the Great Lakes? Bubblaine? Back in Soleanna?" Blayke asked angrily.

"Oh goodness, no!" Isabelle quickly replied. "Just get up and see for yourselves."

"Fine."

The nine teenagers all got up off the bleachers and approached the door. Logan was the first to arrive and look down.

"Oh, my!" He exclaimed.

Soon, all nine of them got a glimpse of the beautiful sight below them. A massive lake, surrounded on all sides by endless rolling green hills. The lake itself was extremely long, stretched out so far that they couldn't see one end of it. On the edge of the lake was what appeared to be a large, glass structure…

"Wait…Is that what I think it is?" Logan asked incredulously.

"What? What is it?" Mona, next to him, asked.

"That dome down there! That's Lak-"

Suddenly, the entire Jet jerked hard to the left, and before they knew it, they were sliding straight down towards the door.

Logan, Mona, Blayke, Chyna, and Rain all fell out in one large group, screaming wildly as they fell against each other and tumbled out the door in a human crush. Only Mr. L, Toadette, and Rosalina remained behind at first.

"Whoa!"

L fell straight to the door, but grabbed onto the doorframe and held on.

Rosalina tried to turn around, but slipped and fell face-first to the cold metal floor. She then slid backwards straight towards the door.

She smacked into both of his legs, knocking them both out from under him and sending his face falling straight into the floor, jolting his grips on the doorframe loose. He fell screaming after the others.

Rosalina herself managed to grab onto the doorframes as well, trying desperately to pull herself back up. She then looked straight up and saw Toadette, lying on her back on the floor, sliding straight towards her.

Toadette, unlike Rosalina, was not trying to do anything to stay on the Jet or avoid the door. She simply continued her texting on the phone, texting blindly as she slid towards Rosalina.

"No, no, TOADETTE, NO!"

But the oblivious Toadette slid into her like a cruising human missile, smashing right into Rosalina's face and sending both of them tumbling down after the others…

…landing right in the frigid waters of the lake below them.

Only then did Toadette finally make a move; raising her right hand up into the air as high as she could to keep her phone above the water. She rose to the surface in half a heartbeat, gasping before realizing that she had succeeded in keeping her phone dry.

"Oh, thank God it's dry!" She shouted in relief before she raised her other hand out of the water and resumed texting just inches above the waterline.

"Oh, yes." Rosalina agreed sarcastically with a roll of her eyes. "God forbid that your phone get wet."

Just then, there was the familiar chopping sound, and a massive wind kicked up that sent ripples across the surface of the lake, blowing the contestants' hair and causing many of them to raise their hands over their faces.

The red bubble helicopter swung in low overhead, with Carl in the pilot's seat and Chef Isabelle in the passenger seat, leaning out with the red megaphone in hand.

"Now how's that for a morning wake-up call?" He laughed. "Welcome, one and all, to our next location: Lake Lamode, Lake Kingdom!"

"SAY WHAT?!"

"That's what I was trying to tell you." Louis resumed. He raised one arm out of the water and pointed at the massive ruins nearby. "That's Lake Lamode, one of Lake Kingdom's most famous landmarks."

"Forget some stupid dome city, isn't this where one of the world's most ferocious monsters lives?" Mona asked worriedly.

"Ha!" Blayke laughed. "Do you honestly mean to tell me that you believe in that nonsense? No dinosaur lives in this lake, it's all a big joke!"

"Whether or not you may believe in the Lake Lamode Monster, that's not what this challenge is about. Swim over to shore so that I can explain the next challenge to ya'll." Isabelle finished.

"But why not just explain it right here?" Rosalina asked. "Why make us swim all that way just to hear an explanation when you're right there?!"

"Uh…See ya!"

And with that, the helicopter veered upward and flew off to the shore, soaring over the dome city and landing just beyond it.

"Darn it! One of these days, we need to do something to her" Rosalina muttered.

Mona turned to Logan, who happened to turn back to her at that moment.

"You…you don't believe in the Lake Lamode Monster, do you?" She asked, almost half-ashamed now that she had revealed her fear.

"My dear, there are many things in this world that just can't be explained. Whether it's cryptozoology, such as the Lake Lamode Monster or Bigfoot, or whether it's the magic bullet in Dealy Plaza on November 22, 1963, this world is full of mysteries that, in my mind, are better left unsolved and left alone."

"So…does that mean we should get out of the water ASAP?"

"Definitely."

The first eight teenagers quickly started swimming towards the water-level grassy knoll just in front of the dome, while Toadette remained behind, texting away. However, her texting was interrupted when a strange wake suddenly rose, barely lapping the bottom of her phone and lifting herself up a few inches into the water, then falling back down again.

"YIPE! What in the world?!"

She quickly went into panic mode and lifted the phone up once more, looking around frantically.

In the direction that the wake had originated from, she thought she saw something. She couldn't tell, but all she saw was a dark spot in the water, just below the surface, that vanished in an instant.

Within 30 seconds, she swam faster than any of the others and was ahead of the group, being the first to reach the shore.

The nine teenagers were soon standing on the grassy knoll, shivering uncontrollably and trying to get dry. Chef Isabelle then started down the hill towards them, with Carl right behind him.

"There ain't no time for shiverin'! Get up here already so I can explain the challenge!"

"A-a-a-again, w-why not j-j-just explain it h-h-here?" Rosalina asked through chattering teeth.

"Move it!"

Rosalina cursed under her breath before she and the other eight teens trudged up the hill, dripping wet the entire way until they finally arrived at the main entrance to the magnificent castle.

"Good! You finally made it, slowpokes! Now, as Drama King stated earlier, this is, in fact, the amazing Underwater Dome. One of the key landmarks of Lake Lamode and built sometime after 1229 A.D., it is over 700 years old. It is also famous for being one of the top locations for Dorsse sightings! Not relevant to the challenge, but a fun fact to know. This will be the main location for the challenge today!

"What is the challenge, you might be wondering? Well, it's a resurrection of an old fan favorite: The war challenge, first introduced in the previous season! I'm sure Perfectionist here, being the only one present who participated in that challenge, remembers what that ordeal was like, eh?"

Most eyes turned to Rosalina, who shuddered. Whether it was from still being cold and wet or in brief remembrance of the disaster that challenge had been, it wasn't quite clear.

"The viewers went crazy over the madness, chaos, and destruction brought about by that episode, and it was ranked among the most popular challenges in Total Drama history! So we're bringing it back…with some slight modifications. First of all, in order to better accommodate the format of the challenge, I must make my big announcement: The three teams are no more!"

"THE MERGE?!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Well, not quite. Consider this a…semi-merge."

There were confused looks all around.

"Like I said, in tribute to the original challenge, this one will, once again, feature teams. Just not the original three teams. This will be the last team-oriented challenge of the season, then it's a free-for-all!"

"So what are the teams?" Nicole asked.

"Once again, as an homage to the original war challenge…Guys vs. girls!"

At this announcement, there were several sighs of relief, mixed with a few groans of agony.

"Guys vs. girls? Really?" Blayke asked. "Come on! They double us in numbers! That's not fair!"

"Now hold on, 'cuz I'm not done!" Isabelle snapped. "Those aren't the only factors in the teams of this challenge. As Perfectionist might remember, the previous challenge was also used to settle a behind-the-scenes dispute between cameramen and interns, and the two gender-based teams chose which of those two groups would be their armies for the challenge. Here, it'll be the same deal, on a much, much lesser scale."

"Oh, great. What's the behind-the-camera conflict about this time?" Rosalina asked. "Who gets beaten up more testing the challenges?"

"Nope. This one is a dispute among the interns, but it's not about who gets hurt more. It's about which group is more popular!"

"…You're kidding, right?"

"Now behind me are the six remaining interns for this show." Isabelle turned and gestured to the main entrance to the castle, from which emerged the other five interns besides Carl. They split up into two groups of three, with each group standing on one side of Chef Isabelle.

"On my right are the 'Classic Interns.' Phil, Steve, and Bill."

The orange bandana intern, the large, dark-skinned intern, and the intern made famous by the original TDA Aftermath, all waved at the contestants before Isabelle continued.

"These three in particular were made famous by the first two original season, with Phil prominent in Total Drama Island as the main intern of the season, and reappearing in Total Drama Action alongside Steve as a sort of dynamic duo. Bill here became an instant fan favorite for his many appearances in the original TDA Aftermath show. And on my left…"

The three tall, burly interns all stood tall and looked from Isabelle at the contestants. Alongside Carl, who strongly resembled Bill (except he was much taller), were the burly blonde intern Marco and the burly dark-skinned intern Franco.

"…are the 'Second Generation Interns,' who all made their debuts in the original Total Drama World Tour, distinguishable by their disgusting resemblance to the original host, and all of them being rather tall and somewhat intimidating."

Isabelle turned back to the contestants.

"These two halves of the intern group have been debating over which is better and more popular with the fans. So, between these two groups of three, you will be choosing which ones will aid you in the challenge today as your fellow soldiers.

"First, we'll decide with a coin toss. In respect to common chivalry, the ladies will go first – or only, in this case – and it shall be one of them who will make the call in mid-air. Girls, choose which one of you will call it."

"I'll do it." Chyna quickly declared before anyone could protest.

Isabelle then pulled out a common coin, with one side bearing her face, and the other bearing that unforgettable, grinning face of the previous host.

"My face is heads." She declared. "Call it!"

She then flipped it up into the air, the gold coin spinning wildly in mid-air. At the very height of its trip, in that brief moment when it hung suspended in mid-air, Chyna shouted out, "TAILS!"

It fell back down, bouncing off the grass once, then clattering to a stop. Isabelle's face looked back up at them.

"Wrong! Guys win first pick of the group of interns!" Isabelle then turned to the men. "Choose your group."

Blayke turned to Logan and L. He looked first at the latter, but L was staring blankly off to the side, a long, despondent look on his face. Blayke turned to Logan.

"What do you think?"

"Well, he says we're choosing 'fellow soldiers'…I think we should choose them." Logan gestured slightly at the three burlier men.

Blayke glanced back at them, then at the so-called "classic" interns, then back at the burly men.

"Agreed." Blayke turned to face Isabelle. "We'll take those three!"

"Alright. Carl, Marco, and Franco, go join the men. Girls, you get Phil, Steve, and Bill."

After the guys and girls had clearly separated, and their respective interns joined up with them, Isabelle continued.

"And with that, here are the positions that you receive with each."

"Positions?" Rain asked.

"Offensive and defensive. This is a slight modification from the original version. Whereas previously, both teams were simply attacking each other with equal ground and equal settings of two castles, we'll now have this be arranged like your average football game: One team will simply try to defend what territory they have, while the other must press forward and try to capture more territory.

The girls and classic interns are on defense. Your base of operations is none other than this battle-scarred castle. The nine of you will fight off any attacks and try to keep your castle under your control. Gentlemen and second generation interns, you are on offense. You do not have a base of operations; your goal is to press forward with all you've got and try to take control of the castle from them. You have three vehicles."

Isabelle gestured to the coastline nearby, where, in addition to the red helicopter, there was also a slick yellow speedboat in the water and the familiar white Jeep on the shore.

"From water, land, and air, you can make your assault."

"Question from the crowd." Chyna raised her hand with a grin on her face.

"What is it?" Isabelle asked, noticeably annoyed.

"What is it that we'll be assaulting each other with?"

"Why, paintball guns, of course! Lots and lots of paintball guns! Girls, yours are on several racks throughout the castle stronghold, and there is also a massive, anti-aircraft/watercraft turret located on the second floor of the main tower, AKA the Grant Tower.

Men, your weapons are stored up primarily in the boat, with a few additional weapons latched onto the Jeep. Each vehicle is equipped with its own turret; one on the back of the Jeep, one on the boat, and one on the helicopter. In addition, the helicopter is equipped with three, and only three, paint missiles. Those are powerful suckers, so don't waste 'em.

"You will be attacking each other like crazy with paint, paint, and more paint. Not to worry; there's plenty of paint, and enough to last at least a whole day. The men can win by either driving the girls out of the castle or by getting all six girls to declare surrender. The girls can win by either destroying all three vehicles or by getting all three guys to declare surrender.

"So that's the gist of it! Ladies, gentlemen, and interns, take your positions, gather up your guns, and let's get this paint-fest underway! The challenge starts whenever you're all ready!"

The two teams split off in opposite directions.

* * *

 **30 minutes later…**

The six girls and three interns stood on the half-open second floor of Grant Tower, with the red wooden platform beneath their feet and the railing between them and the wide-open drop down to the lake's edge below. On it, just as Isabelle said, was the massive turret and single chair for the gunner to sit in.

On both sides of the turret were metal shields to protect the gunner. Against the wall opposite the ledge were five racks of weapons. From pistols, to rifles, to shotguns, to machine guns, to grenades, all with fully-loaded magazines of paintballs and dozens upon dozens of bags of paintballs on standby.

"Wow. Isabelle sure wasn't kidding." Rain commented as she picked up a paintball Mac 10 in one hand and a paint grenade in the other.

"Some of these look so…real." Mona commented.

"Not to worry, kiddo." Phil commented. "We thoroughly inspected each and every one for 14 painstaking hours, and made sure that absolutely, positively, not a single one is a real gun or potentially harmful weapon."

"Yeah." Steve added. "After the incident with the bank challenge last season, that became a bit of a problem."

"Don't forget the flamethrower ordeal last episode." Chyna gleefully reminded them.

"Ugh. I blame that on the tough guys." Bill spat. "They're lazy and think they're all that because they're so buff and dress so…so…"

"Never mind that. The point is, we need to get a strategy together." Rosalina stated firmly, quickly taking command of the group as she attached a belt with two holsters on it, each containing a paint pistol.

"First, we need to scout out this entire castle. Our main base of operations, of course, is this tower. But clearly, the expanse of the castle itself is massive. We should cover as much ground as possible. Like Blayke said, we have the numbers advantage, so let's use that as much as we can.

There's nine of us here, so let's split off into three groups of two and one group of three. One intern in each of the groups of two, and the group of three can be all girls. OK? Good. Let's move out and take up positions evenly spread out from each other. The group of three can stay here in the tower, to guard the weapons and the turret. The rest of you, spread out among the castle grounds."

By the time she had finished, she had the holsters and two handguns around her waist, a belt of paint grenades strapped diagonally across her torso, and a paint shotgun in her arms, with a belt of ammunition for that particular gun strapped down her torso opposite the grenade belt. Everyone around her was speechless and slack-jawed at her speech and sudden rise to the top.

For a few moments, no one said anything. Then Rosalina spoke up once more. "Come on, I said move out!"

The group was quick to comply. After forming up into their respective groups, they gathered up weapons for themselves and moved out. The groups were: Rosalina, Mona, and Rain; Steve and Toadette; Phil and Chyna; and Bill and Skyler.

Steve and Toadette were quick to take up their position at the main entrance, just in front of the bridge over the moat. Steve loaded up his semi-automatic pump rifle, then turned to Toadette.

With only a single pistol at her waist, she leaned against the wall and continued texting.

Steve shook his head as he pumped the first round into the rifle and flicked off the safety.

Bill and Skyler, meanwhile, set up shop at the opposite end of the castle from Grant Tower. Bill set up a .50-caliber machine gun propped up on two detachable legs, while Skyler slung one rifle over her shoulder and held a pistol in each hand.

Lastly, Phil and Chyna were positioned in the middle of the castle at the edge of the lake, opposite the main entrance. Chyna had at least five pistols on her, loaded into waist holsters and chest holsters, with one in her left hand and a belt of grenades also around her, with one grenade at the ready in her hand. Phil, with his single paint shotgun, made sure to keep a good distance from her.

* * *

Meanwhile, the three guys and their three interns gathered at the group of vehicles alongside the edge of the lake, where, similarly to Rosalina, Blayke was quick to take charge.

"OK, so clearly, we need one intern and one contestant per vehicle. Three teams of two, evenly-divided and evenly-gunned."

"Yeah, but that's not the only advantage you'll have due to picking us." Carl said with a grin.

"It's not?" Logan asked.

"Nope. In addition to my expertise in professional piloting, you'll also get these." He then reached behind himself and withdrew three walkie-talkies.

"Since we're in the more modern setting, with vehicles and such, we have a more modern form of communication. One for each vehicle."

"Awesome!" Blayke was quick to swipe them, dispersing them to Logan and L while keeping one for himself.

"Alright, so let's assign teams. I'll take the helicopter with Carl, and we're Alpha Team. The boat will be Beta Team, and the Jeep is Echo Team." Blayke turned to Marco and Franco. "Who drives the boat?"

"That'd be me." Franco responded in a voice that was slightly higher-pitched than was expected.

"Alright. So who'll go with Franco and Beta Team?"

Blayke glanced at L, remembering his past experiences with watercraft such as the submarines and the riverboats, and knew the choice immediately.

"L?"

He stared blankly at the shimmering water nearby.

"L." Blayke repeated, slightly louder.

"Huh?" L shook his head, then looked at Blayke. "Oh, uh, yeah, sure, whatever."

"Fine. Logan, you're with Marco and the Jeep. You're Echo Team."

"Excellent." Logan stated. His enthusiasm then dissipated when he glanced at the Jeep and saw the massive gun on the back.

"Um…but I…heh-heh, have a confession to make." A tone of shame was now detectable in his voice.

"Yes? What might that be?"

"I…I've never fired a firearm before."

A pause.

"Logan…these aren't real." Blayke stated flatly.

"I'm well aware of that. I mean, I've never fired any type of weapon. Not even a toy gun, such as paintball guns like the ones we'll be using."

"You're serious?"

"The closest I've come was prop guns in the occasional modern-themed play at my school, like when I portrayed Tony Montana. But that's it."

Blayke facepalmed.

"OK, OK. So we'll have to give you a crash course." He turned to Carl. "Gun please."

"What kind?"

"Something simple. A pistol."

Carl went to the helicopter's cockpit and withdrew a single pistol. He placed it in Blayke's outstretched hand, and Blayke turned back to Louis, slapping it into his hand. He then walked around behind Logan, placing his hands on Logan's shoulders and pointing ahead of him.

"See that tree up there?"

There was a single tree about 70 feet away, just on the edge of the waterline.

"Yes?"

"See that small, dark round spot on the trunk?"

Logan squinted. "…Yes. Yes, I do."

"OK, see if you can hit that dark spot."

"Gee, Blayke, that's a pretty small target for such a distance. He's a first-timer for Pete's sake." Carl commented.

"Um, how do I aim with this?"

"Line up that small ball-bearing sight at the end of the barrel directly in the center of the gap between this fold-up apparatus here." Blayke reached over and flipped up the rear sights on the pistol's barrel. "Get it?"

"Yes, yes I understand."

"Aim like that. The bullet will go right where the dot at the top is."

"Alright." Logan slowly raised the pistol, his right hand clenching the trigger and his left hand clasped at the bottom of the stock.

"You know, Blayke, some of these weapons are more advanced…scopes, laser-sighting…"

"I want to test his bare aiming skills. His skills and his alone. What good are those advanced aiming apparatuses if the person can't shoot worth-."

Logan fired the first shot. It was short quip of a sound, and the pistol recoiled slightly.

"Woo! That…that's what it feels like, eh?"

"Congratulations, you just fired a gun…" Blayke held out a hand to Carl. "Binoculars."

A pair was placed in his hand, and he raised them to his eyes. Adjusting the knob on top slightly, the enhanced image came into focus…

…the red splatter of paint was directly in the middle of the dark spot.

Blayke's hands trembled slightly as he lowered the binoculars.

"Well? How'd I do?" Logan asked innocently.

"You…hit it dead-on."

"Seriously?"

"Try again. Keep…keep shooting."

Logan shrugged, raised the pistol again, and took aim.

Three more shots. Blayke raised the binoculars…

…only for them to drop from his hands and clatter to the ground the moment he saw the target. The paint was still within the boundaries of the small dark spot, barely larger than a fist 70 feet away.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – Oh, yeah. I just found my new biggest asset in this game.

* * *

"Logan…LOGAN." Blayke stuttered.

"Yes?"

"You're seriously a first-timer?"

"Yes."

"You've never fired a gun before? Not even a toy gun?"

"Nope."

"And that right there is your first time shooting?"

"Yes."

Blayke turned back to Carl, Marco, Franco, and Matthew. With the exception of the latter, they were slack-jawed and wide-eyed.

"Logan…you're incredible! Every shot hit right on the mark! Every single one!"

"Hmm. Well I'll be. I just discovered another hidden talent. And besides that…the feeling of the gun jerking in my hand with every shot, the ring of the shot, the sight of the impact on the target…'tis a sensation like never before. It's…it's…"

He turned to the others. A rather rare and devious grin appeared on his face.

"…invigorating."

* * *

 **Lavatory** **Confessi** **onal**

 **Logan** – I used to think guns were savage tools of death and destruction, but my stance has now been reversed! Just the feeling of my finger wrapping around the trigger, squeezing it, hearing the shot between heartbeats…It was…It was…liberating. Invigorating. Rejuvenating. (Grins evilly at the camera)

* * *

"OK, enough of that, let's get up and moving so we can get ready! We need a game plan." Blayke declared. "Gentlemen, let's split up and mobilize. We'll discuss potential strategies over the walkie-talkies. Now let's move out!"

The three groups split up. Marco jumped into the driver's seat as Louis climbed into the back, placing both hands on the handles of the turret with a look of almost hungry excitement on his face.

Franco jumped down into the boat and started up the engine, with L heading to the stern and similarly taking hold of the turret there, looking less excited.

Lastly, Blayke jumped into the helicopter as Carl started up the propellers. The gun in the helicopter was lower and aimed out the passenger-side door, so Blayke turned sideways to take hold of the handles with the triggers on them, placing one foot on the landing strut to stabilize his posture.

The three vehicles spread out. The boat turned around and sped off towards the center of the Lake, while the helicopter rose up into the air. The Jeep sped off inland, putting some distance between it and the nearby castle.

From the helicopter, Blayke switched on the walkie-talkie and instantly resumed command. "Beta Team, come in!"

"Yeah." L's voice replied half-heartedly over the walkie-talkie.

"Good. Echo Team, come in!"

"Here!" Logan replied.

"Alright. I think we should take turns with the attacks. You know, use our weapons more sparingly. That way, while one group takes time to reload and prepare for the next onslaught, the others can go. Who wants to go up first?"

"I'll go!" Logan volunteered. "Marco will drive up to the bridge at the front entrance, and after an initial wave of gunfire from the turret, I'll attempt to move in through the main gate."

"Excellent. You're learning pretty fast."

"Why, thank you."

The walkie-talkies switched out, and Logan placed it down on the passenger seat of the Jeep.

"Alright, Marco. Head for the bridge. When we're within 100 feet, move at an oblique towards the moat. I'll unleash the first rounds, then you'll turn around and move at a flank directly parallel to the moat for the second round. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

Logan grabbed the massive belt of neatly lined-up paint cartridges and inserted one end into the slot on the right side of the turret. He pressed it further in until he heard the loud click of the first shot falling into place. He then grabbed the lever on the left side and pulled it down, delivering the first shell directly into the barrel with the loud cha-chik!

The Jeep came down the grassy hill overlooking the castle, the bridge now in their sights. Marco turned the wheel slightly to the left, moving at a more diagonal angle to the bridge.

Logan swiveled the turret around and took aim just as he finally saw the two guards standing on opposite sides of the massive door, across the moat from him. One was the massive, dark-skinned intern whom he remembered Isabelle identifying as Steve, and the other was…Toadette, still texting on her phone obliviously.

Logan grinned. This shall be a cinch.

Steve perked up as the sound of the Jeep's engine gradually grew louder, and he saw the vehicle fast approaching, the massive gun in the back.

"Whoa!" He yelled out, raising his semi-automatic. "Hey, hey, girl! Get ready, they're coming!"

Toadette barely moved, aside from her fingers flying across the keypad.

Just as the Jeep approached, Steve started firing away, repeatedly pulling the trigger guard out and re-pumping the rifle again and again after each loud shot rang out. The first two were complete misses, with the third nailing the Jeep's right headlight.

In retaliation, Logan opened fire with the turret. The shots rang out in rapid succession as the spent cartridges flew out of the barrel, the chain of unspent shells whipping along as it was continually used up.

The shots rang out, first striking the wall about 15 feet to Steve's right. He turned as he saw the splatters of paint rapidly appear in quick succession on the wall next to him, the centuries-old stone being tainted with the bright colors.

He instantly ducked as the paint line soared over his head, moving past him and straight through the main door. Toadette nonchalantly dropped down and sat on the grass, her back against the wall, the paint soaring over her head as well.

Steve stumbled back up to his feet and raised the rifle, firing four more shots. Two rang out as they ricocheted off the side of the Jeep, its white surface now splotched with a blue spot and a green streak.

As the Jeep drew closer, it turned around sharply. Logan tightened his grip on the trigger to avoid flying off as the Jeep spun around, kicking up clods of grass and dirt. Soon, the castle was now on the Jeep's left side. Logan swung around and took quick aim, opening fire once more.

This time, however, he aimed much lower and aimed more precisely at Steve himself. The large intern only fired off one more shot before he was taken by the line of fire.

Four large splotches appeared on his jacket in his central stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him back against the stone wall.

He slowly sank to the ground just as the Jeep was directly across the moat from him. Logan unmercifully opened fire once more, turning the turret to keep it trained on Steve's slumped form.

He fired off six more shots that pelted the already-wounded intern, causing him to double over and fall face-first to the grass. His rifle dropped from his hands and clattered about two feet away.

Just as the Jeep was in front of Toadette and past the bridge, Logan let go of the turret and threw himself off the back of the Jeep, landing on his side and rolling across the grass three times before quickly jumping to his feet.

As he started running towards the bridge over the moat, he reached behind his right shoulder for the AK-47 slung around his shoulder. He pulled it forward and took hold of the trigger with his right hand and the magazine with his left hand.

He dashed across the bridge and made it to the main entrance, all while Steve was still keeled over on the ground, moaning in pain.

Logan was now inside the castle, the Grant Tower rising up on his left, and grassy hills with outer walls rising up ahead of him and to his right. He swung around and looked in all directions, prepared for anything.

But he wasn't prepared for Eryn.

The cackling blonde leapt out from behind a wall, her Mac 10 blazing as she laughed a demonic laugh. Logan spun towards her, then ducked just as the paintballs soared over his head, splattering the wall just behind him.

He rose and fired at her, several shots impacting her stomach and chest. She coughed and bent over slightly, but raised the gun again and continued firing anyway, now aiming straight at Logan.

Logan leapt to the side as the shots rang out, and he slid across the grass like a professional baseball player. He held the gun up as he slid and continued firing, only for Chyna to race straight toward him.

She jumped up and over the first few shots, did a somersault in mid-air, then landed directly in front of Logan.

Logan was now staring down the barrel of the Mac 10, eyes wide.

"Oh…"

"Sorry, buddy. Nice try, though. I give you a 7/10 for the effort."

In that moment, a shot rang out directly beside Logan's face, kicking up grass, dirt, and paint in a purple blast. Chyna and Logan both looked up and saw Phil, standing on top of the wall beside them, aiming down at Logan.

"Nice job there, girl. Let me at him!"

"No way!" Chyna shouted back. "This one's mine!"

In that moment, Logan saw his chance. Without hesitation, he took aim and fired, first aiming down at her shins and moving it upward rapidly, the shots traveling up the length of her body and smearing her all over with paint from head to toe.

Chyna's body jerked wildly from the impacts, and she even dropped her own gun. By the time one shot hit her chin, she was already falling backwards. Logan quickly rolled aside as shots from the top of the wall rang out in his direction, then jumped to his feet, spun sharply on one heel, and tore off for the main entrance in a hasty retreat.

Just as he ran through the main door, he remembered the large intern and was quick to raise his gun and aim to his right. Sure enough, Steve was still there. He had just pulled himself back up to his feet and was popping his back, his gun behind him, when Logan emerged. He looked down at Logan and, realizing the vulnerable position he was in, his eyes widened.

Logan took quick aim and fired.

The brutal crotch shot instantly elicited a high-pitched shriek from the mountainous man, who dropped his gun and bent over, tumbling to the grass once more.

Logan then spun to face Toadette, who was still texting away.

Logan shook his head, then turned and ran down the bridge. The Jeep was on a hill in the distance. Logan cupped one hand over his mouth and shouted out, "MARCO! Emergency pick-up, now!"

The intern heard him and was quick to speed back. Just as he neared Logan's position, he turned hard to the left and swiped past Logan, who managed to grab onto the side and hang on in a truly no-nonsense getaway.

As a last-ditch effort, Phil emerged from the main entrance and fired away with his machine gun, only for the Jeep to already be gone. A single shot barely clipped the rear bumper, smearing a yellow stain on it.

"Nuts." He muttered.

"Nuts is right, you idiot."

"Huh?" Phil turned around…

…and Chyna's foot was instantly between his legs. He too instantly squealed in an unmanly voice, dropping his gun and collapsing to his knees.

"Nice going, moron. You let him get away. I told you that he was MINE. I'll say this once, and once only."

She then knelt down and grabbed Phil by his long, brown hair, pulling his face close to hers.

"When something is mine…IT'S MINE. Got it?"

He nodded furiously, with a very high "Uh-huh" as his response.

"Good." She released him, and he collapsed to the side.

Glancing over at him, Steve groaned.

"Just like the good old days, eh Phil?"

"I wish, Steve."

* * *

While waiting for word on Logan's raid, the helicopter now hovered fairly low over the surface of the lake, the boat directly beneath it.

Blayke looked down at L, slouching over in his seat, head in his hands.

With a groan, Blayke raised the walkie-talkie.

"L, come in, L."

Nothing. Ethan leaned out and, squinting hard, noticed the discarded device on a seat across from L.

"Oh, for the love of…Carl, doesn't this thing have a rope ladder?"

"Rolled up right under the passenger seat, sir." The pilot responded.

"Good."

Blayke reached down under the passenger seat and withdrew the rolled-up ladder. Shaking it out and letting it roll down to its full length, the bottom end hung about four feet off the deck of the boat, just in front of L.

Securing the two hooks on his end to the landing strut and snapping them closed, Blayke began climbing down.

He jumped down to the deck when he was on the last rung, and he stood in front of the pouting L, arms folded angrily.

"OK, look. I know we just merged and we've only been on the same team for about…"

A quick glance at his watch.

"…seven minutes, but I've gotta talk to you."

L muttered something that sounded like "Sure."

Blayke sat down next to Matthew, sitting up straight and firm, providing a polar opposite to L's demeanor.

"Look, I understand that you're upset over what happened to Wendy. Yes, it's a tragedy. She was a great girl, a great competitor, and that was probably the worst way ever to leave the game. But dude, you've got to straighten up. There's still a game to be played here, and we need you."

"Mmph. But I've already played this game enough. I won a season, sat out a season, and then I returned and made a jerk out of myself in the final season. What more can I do except give up?"

Blayke slammed a single finger over L's mouth, accompanied by a harsh "SHHH! I don't want to hear that ever come from you again, do you understand? Not for the rest of this challenge.

You can quit on your own time, but for right now, you're on a team with me, and to quit would undoubtedly cost me and Logan the challenge. Would you rather do that – go and screw over two more people after you leave – or stay behind and give it a fighting chance? The last one would probably redeem you a little more. You get what I'm saying?"

L slowly raised his head and looked at Blayke. He then looked at the gun ahead of him, then slowly hung his head again. "I don't know. I just…don't…know."

"Look, think of it this way. Wouldn't Wendy want you to keep going?"

"Not the way I have been going. Blowing people off, like my friends and teammates, putting the game ahead of everyone else?"

"Well, that's just it. To keep going now with a whole new leaf would be much better than quitting without redeeming yourself, right?"

"Even if I could turn over a new leaf, how could I possibly do well? My morale is at an all-time low, my mind is a wreck, and I have no determination. No motivation."

"Two million dollars?"

"Is nothing to me now."

Blayke snarled softly and briefly turned away.

* * *

 **Cockpit Confessional**

 **Blayke** – ARGH! I'm sitting there, and he's giving me nothing to work with! NOTHING. I'm right next to him, and I, like, literally, want to strangle him! But it was that very burst of violence in my mind that gave me my last, and surely most effective, idea.

* * *

"Alright, alright. I've got an idea. You're angry, right?"

"Yes. Very much so." L's head rose slightly, just enough for his open hands to clench into fists. "I'm angry at myself, more than anything else."

"OK. So what you need to do in order to get motivated is to get angry. Channel that rage and fury and put it into the challenge."

"How? I mean, I'm not mad at the girls, I'm not mad at the interns, I'm not even mad at that castle they're in. How can that help?"

"OK, stand up." Blayke got to his feet and placed his hands on L's shoulders, pulling him up to his feet. He led him over to the turret, drawing Franco's attention.

Blayke placed L in front of the gun, took his hands, and placed his hands on the turret's handles, with the buttons for firing located on top of each handle.

"Take hold of this gun, feel the handles, feel the triggers on each handle. When we go into battle, you will aim this gun at the castle. Anywhere, I don't care. Aim at their guns, aim at them. And when you do…"

He grabbed L's head and made him look straight at him.

"…look into their eyes. Look straight into their eyes, and picture yourself. Imagine that, wherever this gun aims, you are firing at yourself and yourself only.

Imagine that you're shooting at the image of yourself before Wendy's elimination. The side of you that you hate, you are destroying. Do you understand?"

L's head slowly turned back to the gun. His hands tightened on the handles, and he slowly moved the turret up, swiveled it slightly to the right, then to the left.

In that moment, Blayke saw a look spread across L's face. It was not a look of anger, nor a look of uncertainty, nor a look of enthusiasm like Logan had exhibited. It was, above all else, a look of determination.

Blayke grinned, knowing that he had done his job.

Just then, Blayke's walkie-talkie buzzed with a burst of static. After a moment, Logan's broken voice came over.

"…-than! Blayke! Do you read?"

Blayke quickly lifted the walkie-talkie off his belt and answered.

"Alpha Team here, status report, Echo Team."

"I tried, sir. But I could not gain full access. I managed to temporarily incapacitate one of their interns before I entered the main chamber. But I was driven back out."

"Driven right out? What happened?"

"Chyna happened, sir."

"Ugh." Blayke groaned. "Alright, Alpha Team and Beta Team are returning to the shore. You can give us a fill-in there, and then we'll shift over to the next wave."

"Yes, sir."

About ten minutes later, the three vehicles reconvened on a grassy hill far from the castle. Logan, Marco, and the slightly paint-splattered Jeep were waiting. Logan filled them in entirely on his initial assault, taking out Steve, entering the castle, being cornered by Chyna, indirectly saved by Phil, and escaping with another shot at Steve.

"…So, in a sense, I was doomed. Had it not been for the dysfunctionality of the duo, I would've been forced into surrender. I was in over my head."

"No, no, you did fine. You got an initial feel of the castle and we know what we're up against. If anything, that was a scouting mission. You did good, and it's time to rest. It's our turn."

"'Our'?" L asked.

"Beta Team and Alpha Team will work together on this. This shall be our first true assault on the castle, working together from the sea and the air."

"Oh."

Blayke placed a hand on his shoulder. "Just as I said. Imagine that you're shooting at your past self."

L raised his head once more and looked straight at Blayke, nodding.

* * *

 **Cockpit** **Confessional**

 **Blayke** – As you can imagine, giving pep talks and encouraging people is generally not my thing, especially when I actually mean it. But in this case, I had to make an exception. Just for this one challenge, I have to put up being on the same team as him. And anything I can do to empower him and give our team more of a fighting chance, I'll do it.

Besides, this only serves as a win-win for me. Not only is this creating a force to be reckoned with that will undoubtedly carry our team to victory this week, but if he truly does improve dramatically and become a true threat once more, that will surely prompt the others to vote him off once it's a free-for-all game. This is two birds in the hand for me.

* * *

The helicopter and the boat were now underway, speeding off towards the castle and closing in.

Along the way, Blayke took note of one of three massive missiles hanging on the underside of the red helicopter. It was about five feet long, but no more than three inches across, and with three tail fins on the bottom. A single red ring circled around the circumference of the missile directly in the middle of its length.

While standing outside the helicopter earlier, he had taken note of the other two missiles and their matching rings: The one around the middle missile was blue, and the one on the left side of the helicopter was green.

"Carl, what exactly are the capabilities of these three missiles here?"

"Oh, boy. Those are the big guns." Carl replied with a slightly nervous chuckle. "And I mean THE big guns. They make that machine gun there look like a bean-shooter."

"And these are the only three we have?"

"Yes. They are too powerful for anymore. The other downside is that they can't lock on target or be piloted towards a target in any way whatsoever. All we can do is aim the helicopter itself at the target and fire the missile. Its trajectory in alignment with that of the helicopter's should take it right to the target."

"And then?"

"That target might as well be made of paint, sir."

"Excellent. We must save these for when we really need them."

"Which might be right now, sir!" Carl replied anxiously, leaning over to look out the windshield at the castle. "We're here!"

Eryn looked up as she heard the familiar buzzing of motors in the distance. She saw the two vehicles first, and a grin spread across her face.

"Ah…Action."

She then straightened up, cupping both hands over her mouth and issuing her birdcall.

"KA-KAW! KA-KAW! KA-KAW!"

In the Grant Tower, the three girls perked up. Rosalina first looked in the direction of the call, then out towards the lake. She saw the two vehicles approaching, and glared.

"Finally. They're giving a little more effort. And so will we."

She turned to Rain. "You! Get on that anti-aircraft gun, stat! You'll take the chopper."

She then turned to Mona. "You! Gather up some weapons and follow me to that top level! We'll shoot at the boat."

Both girls nodded and proceeded to do as they were told.

Chyna turned towards the opposite end of the castle and repeated the birdcall, alerting Skyler and Bill.

"Showtime." Bill said firmly. He attached the round magazine to his paint-tommy gun, then took aim. Skyler mimicked with her sniper rifle.

The two vehicles closed in, the boat directly beneath the helicopter. When they were within 100 yards of the castle, Blayke stuck his hand out the window and gave the signal with a single flick of his hand, then sticking out his thumb and jerking it to the left.

* * *

Down in the boat, Franco responded by veering the boat more to the left, approaching at a 45-degree angle just as Marco and the White Jeep had approached from the front earlier. The helicopter, meanwhile, veered more to the right, aiming for the Grant Tower.

Within 50 yards, the anti-aircraft gun was already blazing. Explosions of paint went off all around the chopper, but Blayke was unfazed. He simply maintained his position, one leg placed on the landing strut and the other inside the chopper. He leaned forward against the gun, grabbing the handles.

"Eat my paint." He muttered before he opened fire.

The round barrel with six holes at the end started rotating rapidly as the shots rang out. The paint traveled up the length of the Tower, starting at the base and traveling up towards the second level ledge.

When it reached the enemy's gun, he stopped and kept it trained on the massive weapon. The paint erupted against the metal shields on both sides of the barrel, and Rain ducked to avoid several close shots as she herself continued firing.

Meanwhile, the boat was now at heading at an oblique towards the castle, and L took aim. Staring down the sights something fierce, Blayke's words echoed.

Imagine that you're shooting at your past self…

With that, the paint started flying. L kept the trigger pressed down and shouted a battle roar as he fired. The paint peppered the side of the castle, and he fired wildly out of rage rather than particularly aiming at anything.

Positioned at the opposite end of the castle from the Tower, Skyler and Bill took careful aim at the boat. Bill fired first, unleashing dozens of rounds on the boat. They mostly struck the forecastle deck just in front of the windshield, with several drops splattering the glass in front of Franco. He instantly perked up and looked in the direction the shots were coming from. He saw the two crouched figures.

"Sir! Over there!" He shouted, pointing in their direction.

Matthew, barely hearing him, turned in the direction he was pointing while the gun continued blazing. With another roar, he swiveled it around and aimed straight at them, gun blazing.

Bill managed to duck just as the paint started striking their location, while Skyler wasn't so lucky. Four shots struck her, with two on her stomach, one on her right shoulder, and one on her forehead.

She yelped and stumbled backwards, her sniper rifle discharging a single shot as it fell from her hands. Bill stood up and looked back at her, sprawled out on the ground, only for a single shot to nail him in the back of the head, sending him spinning around and flying forward, sliding across the ground face-first and getting himself a mouthful of grass.

"YYYYYYYYEEEEESSSSSSS!" L cheered triumphantly as he saw his two successful impacts.

From the helicopter, Blayke took note of L'd success, chuckled, and briefly lifted up his walkie-talkie.

"Nice shot there, Beta Team. I'll get you a pack of DP just for that one alone."

A single shot struck the inside of the chopper, exploding pink paint on the ceiling above him. He quickly resumed firing, aiming at the anti-aircraft gun.

However, the helicopter was already nearly above the Tower, and he was unable to lower it any further. In the last few moments, he took some shots at the two girls on the very top, only for them to duck under his line of fire as the helicopter soared overhead, barely 10 feet above them.

As Rosalina swung around to face the helicopter, her hair blew wildly in its wake. She raised her paint shotgun and fired three more shots, with one impacting near the tail rotor of the chopper.

She quickly leaned over the railing and looked down at Rain on the second floor.

"Rain! You holding up? You hit?"

"No, I'm fine. I don't think we did much damage, though."

"Hang on!" Mona shouted, drawing Rosalina's attention. She was pointing up at the chopper, now sideways as it slowly turned around.

"They're coming back!" She declared.

"They're coming back!" Rosalina repeated to Rain. She ran over to the other edge of the top level, cupped her hand and shouted as loud as she could across the length of the castle. "THEY'RE COMING BACK FOR A SECOND WAVE! GET READY!"

"I see 'em!" Steve shouted from the main entrance. He aimed his semi-automatic and started firing, pumping, and firing again. The helicopter was now facing towards the center of the castle and closing in.

He had just emptied his rifle's chamber as the chopper swung over him and flew over the castle once more.

Blayke's gun was blazing as he opened fire on the groups in the center of the castle. He first aimed carefully at Chyna, who returned fire with the Mac 10.

The shots from Blayke's mini-gun streaked across the ground towards her, and at the last moment, Chyna lowered the gun, grabbed Phil, and held him directly in front of her.

"Hey! Wait! What are yo-OWALBLARGHERCK!"

He was instantly taken by a line of paint, streaking straight up his body and with three shots to the face. He jerked and twisted in her grip before passing out cold.

Chyna dropped his slumped form, lifted up her gun once more, and fired some more rounds as the chopper flew past, veering to the right to take aim at Skyler and Bill.

"They're coming this way! Watch out!" Bill shouted, crouching and taking aim with his tommy gun. Skyler finally managed to fire her own shots, squeezing off three rounds as it soared past them.

As the helicopter flew over them, it continued straight ahead, not showing any signs of turning around. The shots died down, and the thumping of the propellers dwindled off into the distance. The boat trailed them, its humming motor also dissipating as peace settled over the castle once more.

The battle was just beginning.


End file.
